Co3O4-MoSe2@C nanocomposite as a multi-functional catalyst for electrochemical water splitting and lithium-oxygen battery

Co3O4-MoSe2@C nanocomposite has been prepared by a convenient method via combining hydrothermally synthesized MoSe2@C and Co3O4. When catalyzing the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction, the catalyst features low overpotentials of 144 mV and 360 mV (both at 10 mA cm−2 current density), respectively. It can also serve as the cathode in the lithium-oxygen battery and the device shows a low charging-discharging overpotential of 1.50 V with a stable performance of over 200 cycles at current density of 1000 mA g−1, shedding light on the design and synthesis of novel multifunctional electrocatalysts for energy conversions.