Hydrothermal Synthesis of SmCoO3/rGO Composite as an Excellent Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Water-splitting research utilizing electrocatalysts that demonstrate outstanding electrochemical performance and environmental compatibility can lead to development of a substantial hydrogen energy source. In this research, an SmCoO₃/rGO composite has been fabricated by facile hydrothermal approach and examined employing physical and electrochemical tests for electrocatalytic water splitting via OER. The methodologies, like SEM, BET and XRD test, were applied to characterize produced SmCoO₃/rGO. The composite demonstrates remarkable characteristics such as long-lasting stability of up to 35 h, minimal onset potential, significant ECSA of 287.5 cm², remarkably small value of Overpotential (209 mV), smaller resistance of 0.91 Ω and relatively moderate Tafel value (36 mV/dec) at 10 mA/cm² in 1.0 M KOH media. An electrocatalytic assessment reveals that combination of SmCoO₃ nanomaterials and rGO has synergistic effect, leading to reduction in overpotential value. The remarkable electrochemical properties of above-designed composite make it an extremely suitable electrocatalyst for OER and various energy conversion applications.