Electrochemical investigation of C-doped CoFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ nanostructures for efficient electrochemical water splitting

For the energy conversion technology, it is crucial to design catalysts for water splitting applications namely Oxygen evolution reaction and Hydrogen evolution reaction (OER and HER) with improved stability and activity using practically used methods. The development of a cost-effective, efficient, and durable electrocatalysts is necessary for the performance of water splitting. Herein, CoFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃, and C-CoFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ (Carbon doped) electrocatalysts were synthesized by using the facile calcination approach, speeding up catalytic kinetics for water splitting applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to structurally characterize the synthesized electrocatalysts. Cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, Mott-Schottky, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were performed to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the electrocatalysts. In OER, CoFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃@CNT showed efficient catalytic activity with an overpotential of 260 mV current density and a Tafel slope of 183 mV dec⁻¹. Whereas for the HER, carbon-doped CoFe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ shows outstanding catalytic activity with an overpotential of 236 mV current density and a Tafel slope of 146 mV dec⁻¹. This simple and successful method proposes a new method for the fabrication of ferrites and oxides, potentially improving the electrochemical performance of systems related to energy.