Spinel Nanostructures: A Reliable Catalyst Towards Energy Conversion Applications

The development of efficient electrocatalysts is essential for the advancement of sustainable energy conversion technologies. In this study, we present a novel electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) applications, Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) sheets embedded with 3D cubic Spinel Co2MnO4 (CMO) nanostructures. The hydrothermal approach was utilized to prepare N-rGO/CMO spinel cubes, which were subsequently thermally annealed at 600°C under an inert atmosphere. The unique features of the N-rGO/CMO electrocatalyst were observed based on Hydrothermal Reaction hours, showing a spherical, pompon and 3D cubic structure. The 3D cubes exhibited exceptional electrocatalytic activity towards OER, with a high current density at a lower onset potential of 1.56 V (vs. RHE), a small Tafel slope of about 118 mV/decade, and a high durability of about 36 hours. Moreover, when dispersed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) substrate, the N-rGO/CMO 3D cubes displayed a strong coupling and facile charge transfer, making them highly promising electrocatalysts for OER. Our results suggest that N-rGO/CMO electrocatalysts are highly efficient for OER and exhibit superior performance compared to conventional electrocatalysts. Importantly, these electrocatalysts have the potential for large-scale cost-effective production and high durability, making them ideal for commercial energy conversion applications. Our research marks a significant step forward in the field of OER electrocatalysts and enables the development of sustainable energy conversion technologies in the future.