Ti۳C۲Tx@CuCo۲O۴ Nanocomposite as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Owing to their large surface area of ۲D titanium carbides and nitrides (MXenes) have emerged as promising materials for the catalytic application. The use of nanoparticles as spacers within layers increases the active surface area by limiting the restacking of Ti۳C۲Tx nano-flakes and facilitating fast diffusion of electrolyte ions within the electrode. Here, a protocol for constructing a nanocomposite Ti۳C۲Tx@CuCo۲O۴ for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is presented. The highly active CuCo۲O۴ nanoparticles are decorated on Ti۳C۲Tx MXene nano-flakes by using the solvothermal method. The structure and morphology of synthesized catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The OER activity of the nanocomposite were studied through linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) in ۱M KOH solution. The Ti۳C۲Tx@CuCo۲O۴ nanocomposite catalyst show lower onset potential in contrast to one component MXene and CuCo۲O۴ and a low overpotential of ۱.۷۲ and ۱.۸۳ V versus RHE for the current density of ۵۰ and ۱۰۰ mA cm−۲. The nanocomposite also enables low Tafel slope for OER and offers a simple and efficient approach to construct efficient OER catalysts.