Abstract:
The key to unlock a renewable, clean, and
energy-dense hydrogen fuel lies in designing an efficient
oxygen evolving catalyst exhibiting high activity, stability, and
cost-effectiveness. This report addresses an improved activity
toward oxygen evolution by a composite of cobaltpolyoxometalate [Co4(H2O)2(PW9O34)2]
10− (CoPOM) and
an ionic polymer, poly(vinyl butyl imidazolium) (PVIM), in
highly alkaline media. PVIM provides a stable platform for
CoPOM and acts as a conductive linker between CoPOM and
the electrode surface, forming a concrete solid composite,
which balances the multinegative charge of CoPOM
synergistically. This improved stability and conductivity of CoPOM by PVIM in the PVIM−CoPOM composite performs
remarkable electrocatalytic water oxidation with a very low overpotential of 0.20 V and a very high current density of 250 mA/
cm2 (at 1.75 V vs RHE) with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 52.8 s−1 in 1 M NaOH.
