Fe, Cu-decorated carbon material produced from ionic liquids as resourceful electrocatalyst for water splitting

Abstract

The quest for highly efficient, stable, and economically viable bifunctional electrocatalysts is of paramount relevance for advancing in water splitting for the hydrogen energy sector, particularly in facilitating hydrogen (HER) and oxygen evolution evolution (OER) as cathodic and anodic reaction, respectively. In this study, two ionic liquids containing transition metal Fe or Cu, as well as a mixture of these ionic liquids, were used as precursors to synthesize Fe-, Cu-, and Fe,Cu-decorated carbon materials through simple, straightforward, and inexpensive carbonization processes. Comprehensive characterization via SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, and XPS established the formation of Fe3O4 and Cu2O species. These materials were systematically evaluated for OER and HER in alkaline electrolyte. Fe,Cu-decorated carbon electrocatalyst exhibited favorable performance for OER, including a low onset potential, and reaching 10 and 50 mA cm−2 at overpotential values of 325 mV and 364 mV, respectively. Notably, grafting both Fe and Cu in the material further augmented its electrocatalytic properties, underscoring the enhanced potential of transition metal-decorated carbon materials for OER applications.