Sol-gel synthesis and electrochemical studies of magnesium-doped lithium cobalt phosphate nanoparticles for water electrocatalysis
摘要
Olivine phosphates present a new class of nanomaterials as special electrocatalysts in water splitting. Single-phase orthorhombic lithium cobalt phosphate and its magnesium-doped analogues (LCMPs) were successfully synthesized using the non-aqueous sol-gel method. All modified electrode materials illustrate the robust activity towards OER in basic medium. The OER crossover (with capacitive peak) in the KOH medium is observed and is being reported for the first time. The crossover peak currents decrease with the scan rate and nearly diminish with methanol addition. Among all LMCPs, LCMP-2 proved to be the optimal material with average crystallite size of 34.3 nm, remains stable during the stability test for six hours and showing hiked catalytic behavior as evidenced by the lower overpotential of 0.76 V, onset potential of 0.72 V, low charge transfer resistance of 267.7 Ω, and inherently high peak current density of 110 mA/cm2.
Graphical Abstract