Achieving High-Performance Overall Water Splitting with ZnCo₂O₄@Co₃O₄ Nanosheets

The research and improvement of electrocatalysts are crucial for lowering the energy barrier of water-splitting electrocatalytic reactions and enhancing reaction kinetics. To achieve this, the development of low-cost, high-performance electrocatalysts with broad application potential is urgent. In this study, The ZnCo 2 O 4 @Co 3 O 4 hybrid-structure nanowires were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal method. As electrocatalysts for water splitting, ZnCo 2 O 4 @Co 3 O 4 achieves a current density of 20 mA cm −2 with an overpotential of 388.6 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and an overpotential of 92.4 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), demonstrating superior catalytic performance compared to single ZnCo 2 O 4 or Co 3 O 4 . Additionally, the ZnCo 2 O 4 @Co 3 O 4 sample exhibits a cell voltage of 1.747 V and maintains excellent stability in tests lasting over 25 hours.