Trifunctional electrocatalysts of ternary iron-copper-molybdenum Schiff base complexes applied to Zn-air battery and alkaline water splitting

The study developed a trifunctional electrocatalyst in which Mo provides Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 -SB complexes with versatile multifunctional electrocatalytic activity. Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 Mo 0.5 -SB-400 can serve as an electrocatalyst for the ORR, while Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 Mo 0.5 -SB-600 and Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 Mo 0.5 -SB-300 are promising for the OER and HER. The Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 Mo 0.5 -SB-400/C electrodes exhibited good discharge power density in the Zn-air battery, outperforming both commercial Pt/C and Pt/C + RuO 2 . The HER and OER overpotentials at 100 mA cm −2 of current density for Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 Mo 0.5 -SB complexes are superior to those of well-developed noble electrocatalysts. The tunable electrocatalytic activity of Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 Mo 0.5 -SB opens an avenue for designing low-cost trifunctional electrocatalysts and can be applied for the Zn-air battery and alkaline water splitting. A trifunctional electrocatalyst of Fe 0.5 Cu 0.5 Mo 0.5 -SB complexes with versatile multifunctional electrocatalytic activity for ORR/OER/HER.