One‐Step Preparation of Cobalt‐Nanoparticle‐Embedded Carbon for Effective Water Oxidation Electrocatalysis

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) impedes the whole water splitting efficiency and it is thus highly desirable to develop cost‐effective OER electrocatalysts. In this Communication, we report the one‐step preparation of cobalt‐nanoparticle‐embedded carbon as a superior OER electrocatalyst with a low overpotential of 232 mV to drive a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH. Notably, this catalyst also exhibits excellent long‐term electrochemical stability. The catalytic mechanism is also investigated by density functional theory calculations. Driving force: Cobalt nanoparticles embedded in carbon is prepared by using a one‐step annealing process. The material is then used as an efficient water oxidation electrocatalyst, capable of driving 10 mA cm−2 at a low overpotential of 232 mV in 1.0 M KOH. Density functional theory is performed to gain further insight into the catalytic mechanism involved.