Improved catalytic efficiency of CaAl2O4/PANI electrocatalyst for robust water splitting

Abstract

To achieve optimal control over the electrochemical water splitting (EWS) process, it is essential to produce electrocatalysts that should be highly efficient. These catalysts play important roles in reducing the energy barrier and accelerating oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This work presents a simple hydrothermal technique for producing CaAl₂O₄ nanoparticles of the spinel type with polyaniline (PANI) nanosheets. The primary objective was to investigate the electrocatalytic performance of CaAl₂O₄/PANI catalyst. The structure and morphology of fabricated catalyst were analyzed utilizing various physiochemical techniques, revealing a significant interaction between the CaAl₂O₄ nanoparticle and PANI nanosheet. Moreover, the electrochemical findings of the CaAl₂O₄/PANI catalyst showcased remarkable electrocatalytic capabilities, with remarkable overpotential (η) of 225 mV at 10 mA cm^− 2. The Tafel slope of 37 mV dec^− 1 suggests that the catalytic performance is highly efficient. In addition, the synthesized catalyst exhibited a notable decrease in impedance (R_ct) to 0.22 Ω and maintained its stability even after 5000th cycles. The CaAl₂O₄/PANI demonstrates remarkable stability and has potential to be used for water splitting.