Highly stable and efficient non-precious metal electrocatalysts of tantalum dioxyfluoride used for the oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Superior stability is very important for electrocatalysts during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for long-term cyclic applications. Tantalum dioxyfluoride, TaO₂F, as very stable compound, supported on graphitized carbon (^gC) has been synthesized using a simple ion adsorbed methodology and used as an electrocatalyst for the OER in alkaline medium. The TaO₂F/^gC electrocatalyst exhibited efficient catalytic activity with a lower onset potential of 1.48 V vs. RHE for the OER and an overpotential of only 360 mV to achieve 10 mA cm⁻². Moreover, the TaO₂F/^gC electrocatalyst showed superior stability and was almost unchanged after 20 000 cycles of polarization and using at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² for several days.