Transformation of Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> to CoOOH for Photocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The development of efficient and economical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is highly desired, and cobalt-based nanomaterials are promising candidates. In this work, we tackle one key question for cobalt-assisted photocatalytic OER: What is the true active species of Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> for the photocatalytic OER? Hence, we investigated photocatalytic OER on nanostructured Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> and Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> for comparison. We found that there was a significant transformation of Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> during the photocatalytic process with a [Ru(bpy)<sub>3</sub>]<sup>2+</sup>/S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub><sup>2-</sup> buffer. Specifically, the Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> nanosheets were oxidized and mainly converted to CoOOH nanoparticles, one type of highly active material for the OER. The converted CoOOH exhibits higher photocatalytic OER performance than Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles. CoOOH is the true active catalyst for the photocatalytic OER on Co(OH)<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore, potential-determining steps calculated by theoretical calculations also indicate that Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> is unlikely to be the catalyst for the OER, and CoOOH exhibits better OER activity than Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Published
2025-09-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c01941
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Transformation of Co(OH)2 to CoOOH for Photocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Ying-Ming Li, Yujia Ding, Carlo U. Segre, Houyu Zhu et al.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
article

Transformation of Co(OH)2 to CoOOH for Photocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Ying-Ming Li, Yujia Ding, Carlo U. Segre, Houyu Zhu, Jiming Bao, Xinxin Xing, Yi Zhang, Dezhi Wang, Yuanxing Wang
article en

Abstract

The development of efficient and economical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is highly desired, and cobalt-based nanomaterials are promising candidates. In this work, we tackle one key question for cobalt-assisted photocatalytic OER: What is the true active species of Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> for the photocatalytic OER? Hence, we investigated photocatalytic OER on nanostructured Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> and Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> for comparison. We found that there was a significant transformation of Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> during the photocatalytic process with a [Ru(bpy)<sub>3</sub>]<sup>2+</sup>/S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub><sup>2-</sup> buffer. Specifically, the Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> nanosheets were oxidized and mainly converted to CoOOH nanoparticles, one type of highly active material for the OER. The converted CoOOH exhibits higher photocatalytic OER performance than Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles. CoOOH is the true active catalyst for the photocatalytic OER on Co(OH)<sub>2</sub>. Furthermore, potential-determining steps calculated by theoretical calculations also indicate that Co(OH)<sub>2</sub> is unlikely to be the catalyst for the OER, and CoOOH exhibits better OER activity than Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry LettersVol. 16(37)
CSL (United Kingdom) (GB), Illinois Institute of Technology (US), Yunnan University (CN), Division of Materials Science and Engineering (AU), Intelligent Energy (United Kingdom) (GB), China University of Petroleum, East China (CN), University of Houston (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 84%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
DOISourceOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.