Utilizing the cross-linked effect and reconstruction strategy of phytic acid to build Fe-Co-Ni trimetallic amorphous carbon-matrix compounds as efficient oxygen evolution catalyst

A large cross-linked network, with highly synergistic effect of transition metal ions,small particle size characteristics and porous structure, is designed based on the complexing effect and reconstruction strategy of phytic acid, and then displays high-efficiency catalytic activity and long-working stabilization for OER. [Display omitted] Developing low-cost electrocatalysts with excellent activity is significant for accelerating the slow oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, an effective electrocatalyst is prepared via the cross-linked effect and reconstruction strategy based on inexpensive transition metals (Fe, Co, and Ni) and phytic acid (PA). The feasibility of utilizing the cross-linked effect and reconstruction strategy is due to that PA molecules with strongly electronegative phosphoric acid groups possess a great deal of complexing sites, which can facilitate the formation of large cross-linked network by randomly complexing Fe, Co and Ni ions. And the carboatomic rings in PA molecules will reconstructed as carbon-matrix when PA molecules decompose. The above structural evolution of large cross-linked network and reconstructing process is rigorously analyzed through the characterization methods such as XPS. These analysis results indicate that FeCoNi-PA-300 possesses a high degree of amorphization, an abundant nanoporous structure, and a small nanoparticle size, resulting in a large electrochemically active area. Consequently, FeCoNi-PA-300 just needs low overpotentials of about 271 mV and 286 mV to obtain the current densities of 50 and 100 mA cm−2, respectively. Meaningfully, this synthetic method is a general strategy to meliorate the OER activity and electrical conductivity of other catalysts.