Hierarchical nitrogen-enriched porous carbon materials derived from Schiff-base networks supported FeCo₂O₄ nanoparticles for efficient water oxidation

Abundant metal oxides and their composites have attracted great interest in the application of electrochemical energy conversion and storage. In this work, we obtain a hybrid material of FeCo₂O₄ nanoparticles anchored on hierarchical nitrogen-enriched porous carbon material (denoted as FeCo₂O₄@NPC-450 °C) and study its activity for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). NPC-450 °C is prepared by carbonizing a Schiff-base network (SNW) and SNW is melamine-based material own high nitrogen content and rigid molecular backbone. Compared with FeCo₂O₄ and NPC-450 °C, FeCo₂O₄@NPC-450 °C hybrid exhibits remarkable OER performance with a small over potential of mere 330 mv at a current density of 10 mA cm ⁻² and a small Tafel slope of 50 mV dec⁻¹. Electrochemical measurements also show that FeCo₂O₄@NPC-450 °C present stability for at least 25 h in alkaline solutions. FeCo₂O₄@NPC-450 °C shows good performance for OER raises the possibility for cheap and easily prepared catalyst to replace precious metal catalysts.