Solution-Processed CoFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles on 3D Carbon Fiber Papers for Durable Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

We report CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized using a facile hydrothermal growth and their attachment on 3D carbon fiber papers (CFPs) for efficient and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The CFPs covered with CoFe2O4 NPs show orders of magnitude higher OER performance than bare CFP due to high activity of CoFe2O4 NPs, leading to a small overpotential of 378 mV to get a current density of 10 mA/cm(2). Significantly, the CoFe2O4 NPs-on-CFP electrodes exhibit remarkably long stability evaluated by continuous cycling (over 15 h) and operation with a high current density at a fixed potential (over 40 h) without any morphological change and with preservation of all materials within the electrode. Furthermore, the CoFe2O4 NPs-on-CFP electrodes also exhibit hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance, which is considerably higher than that of bare CFP, acting as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. The achieved results show promising potential for efficient, cost-effective, and durable hydrogen generation at large scales using earth-abundant materials and cheap fabrication processes.