Pd nanocluster-decorated CoFe composite supported on nitrogen carbon nanotubes as a high-performance trifunctional electrocatalyst

Rational design and synthesis of low-cost trifunctional electrocatalysts with improved stability superior electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), evolution (OER), hydrogen (HER) are highly desirable but remain as the bottlenecks at current state technology. In this paper, cobalt-iron (Co–Fe) composite supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CoFe composite/NCNTs) is synthesized. The intrinsic OER HER catalytic activities CoFe composite/NCNTs significantly palladium (Pd) nanocluster decoration [Pd-coated composite/NCNTs)]. as-prepared Pd-coated catalyst exhibits excellent due to interfacial coupling between Pd composite/NCNTs). This successfully employed in water electrolysis cell both electrode catalysts, flexible rechargeable Zn-air battery bifunctional ORR catalyst. voltage catalyst-coated electrodes requires only 1.60 V achieve 10 mA cm−2 density cell, which comparable even better than that Pt/C Ir/C based cell. primary using shows a constant high open-circuit (OCV) 1.47 maximum power 261 mW flooded mode configuration. Most importantly, runs very smoothly without change gap during flat, bending, twisting positions.