Fe3+ in a tetrahedral position determined the electrocatalytic properties in FeMn2O4

Abstract

As an electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for water decomposition purposes, spinel ferrite materials have gained a lot of attention from many researchers. Herein, we document a co-precipitation synthesis of antitypical spinel nanoparticles (FeMn₂O₄) by post-annealing at different temperatures to enable modulation of the cationic oxidation state and tuning of the conversion degree for efficient and good OER performance. The electrocatalytic activity test shows that the sample annealed at 500 °C has the most optimal catalytic activity with an overpotential of 360 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² and a Tafel slope as low as 105.32 mV dec⁻¹. The formation of FeOOH during in situ OER promotes the catalytic activity of the catalysts. More importantly, according to the results of Brunauer–Emmett–Teller normalization, we demonstrate that the activity of the catalyst is also inseparable from the internal crystal structure. This work broadens the field of research on the electrocatalysis of spinel manganese ferrites.