Abstract Exploring low-cost, efficacious and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial yet highly challenging to the wide perspective practicability for… Click to show full abstract
Abstract Exploring low-cost, efficacious and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial yet highly challenging to the wide perspective practicability for rechargeable metal−air batteries together with fuel cells and electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we have successfully prepared a novel nanohybrid consisting of Co2P nanocores encased in N,P-codoped carbon layers (denoted as Co2P@NPC) through an extremely facile and effective pyrolysis route utilizing easily available raw materials. The as-prepared Co2P@NPC exhibits excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic performances for both ORR and OER in alkaline solution. For ORR, Co2P@NPC shows comparable activity to the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C in terms of the half-wave potential and limited current density under the identical linear sweep voltammetry measurement conditions. Moreover, the ORR durability and methanol tolerance of Co2P@NPC are much better than those of 20 wt% Pt/C. As regards OER, Co2P@NPC affords lower activity but better stability than the fresh RuO2. The high electrocatalytic performances originate from the strong interaction between Co2P nanocores and N,P-codoped carbon layers, the high BET surface area and the conductive network formed by the crosslinking of carbon coatings.
               
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