Enhancing the electrochemical efficacy of hydrothermally developed Nd-doped MnCrO3 electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER)

Electrocatalysts play a critical part in attaining optimal performance in renewable energy conversion applications. However, doping shows effectiveness in generating economical perovskite oxides that exhibit impressive electrochemical characteristics. This investigation focuses on the development of a neodymium (Nd)-doped MnCrO₃ electrocatalyst aimed at enhancing the performance and durability of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Nonetheless, Nd-doped MnCrO₃ electrocatalyst exhibits a notable overpotential (η) of 186 mV at about 10.0 mA/cm², along with a minimized Tafel value of 34 mV/dec. It maintains its durability for 50 h and continues to perform effectively even after reaching 3000^th cycles. The Nd-doped MnCrO₃ demonstrates several advantageous results, comprising reduced overpotential, increased catalytic current density, favorable solution resistance (R_s = 0.61 Ω) and higher ECSA (303.62 cm²) value. The enhanced performance of Nd-doped MnCrO₃ can be ascribed to various factors, like its exceptional interconnected structural morphology, the robust synergetic interactions among Nd, Mn, Cr and the efficient adsorption of OH⁻. The characteristics are notably prominent compared to those seen in un-doped MnCrO₃, resulting in a considerable increase in OER performance. The outcomes indicate that the incorporation of rare earth (Nd) dopant in high valence state may enhance the properties of perovskite oxide, potentially leading to improved optimization for energy-generating applications in OER.