Engineering of integrated bimetallic sulfides covalently trapped in N-doped mesoporous graphitic carbon for OER process
摘要
Sustainable and cost-effective generation of green energy is essential for a green fuel and clean environment. For this purpose, efficient energy conversion harnessing cost-effective materials is particularly a sustainable solution to a viable green future. This study explores the production of covalently trapped nanostructured zinc-aluminum bimetallic sulfides in nitrogen-doped mesoporous graphitic carbon (Zn0.5Al0.55@N-MC) as a cost-effective electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Various analytical techniques confirm the structural and morphological properties of the fabricated materials. To reach 10 mA cm−2 current density, electrochemical OER performance in 1.0 M KOH displays a lower overpotential of 340 mV and reduced Tafel slope of 23 mV dec−1. Zn0.5Al0.5S@N-MC nanocomposite exhibits good conductivity, with a charge transfer resistance of 2.43 Ω, and exceptional electrochemical stability for 50 h. The covalent bond between Zn0.5Al0.5S nanosheets and N-MC enhances OER catalytic performance over monometallic counterparts. Furthermore, the composite facilitates electron and mass transfer, suggesting potential for improved energy conversion systems. These findings offer insight into the development of porous carbon-enclosed bimetallic sulfides for enhanced electrocatalytic applications.