Tungsten compound–carbon interfaces enable durable alkaline oxygen evolution on Co-based carbon electrocatalysts

Trace W incorporation improved the durability of Co–Carbon catalysts. • W–S–C/W–S–O–C interfaces were formed after carbonization. • DFT indicates that WS 2 coupling strengthens C–C bonding in carbon. • Interfacial W species mitigate anodic carbon degradation during OER. Carbon-based catalysts are widely utilized in oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) owing to their great electrical conductivity and low cost. However, their use as bifunctional electrocatalysts for water electrolysis and metal–air batteries is severely hindered by carbon corrosion under anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) conditions. Herein, a carbon-based Co/W–Carbon electrocatalyst was synthesized via dopamine polymerization followed by high-temperature carbonization. The catalyst exhibits an overpotential of 331 mV at 10 mA cm -2 . Moreover, the addition of only a small amount of W significantly extends its stability in alkaline electrolyte by several times. Structural analyses revealed the formation of strongly coupled W–S–C/ W–S–O–C interfacial structures after carbonization. Density functional theory calculations demonstrated that coupling graphene with WS 2 promotes electron redistribution from the π-electron system to the C–C σ-bonding network, resulting in enhanced C–C bonding strength and an increased carbon vacancy formation energy. These findings reveal the dual role of WS 2 as both a catalytic component and a structural stabilizer, providing a new strategy for designing durable carbon-rich electrocatalysts. Download: Download high-res image (276KB) Download: Download full-size image