What question did this study set out to answer?

To develop a cost-effective, multifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient energy conversion processes.

March 26, 2026

Stabilizing Amorphous Cobalt Nanoclusters Within Polyaniline Toward Trifunctional Electrocatalysis of HER, OER, and ORR

Puntos clave

To develop a cost-effective, multifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient energy conversion processes.
Synthesis of polyaniline decorated with cobalt nanoclusters via a solvothermal method.
Characterization of the catalytic properties of the Co60@PANI composite.
Evaluation of electrocatalytic activity for HER, OER, and ORR in alkaline conditions.
Co60@PANI shows a half-wave potential of 0.74 V versus RHE for ORR.
Achieves low overpotentials of 292 mV for HER and 320 mV for OER at 10 mA/cm² in 1 M KOH.
Demonstrates enhanced trifunctional electrocatalytic activity due to uniform distribution of cobalt nanoclusters.

Resumen

ABSTRACT Development of efficient, cost‐effective, and multifunctional electrocatalysts is the key focus in renewable energy research. Cobalt‐based electrocatalysts are widely used in the electrochemical HER, OER, and ORR. In this study, we report a novel multifunctional electrocatalyst composed of polyaniline (PANI) decorated with cobalt nanoclusters, synthesized via a simple solvothermal method. The uniform distribution of amorphous cobalt nanoclusters within the PANI matrix provides abundant active sites, high electrical conductivity, and high surface area, resulting in excellent trifunctional electrocatalytic activity. The Co60@PANI catalyst exhibits a high half‐wave potential of 0.74 V versus RHE and limiting current density of −4.82 mA cm −2 in 0.1 M KOH for the ORR. The catalysts also achieve low overpotentials of 292 and 320 mV at 10 mA/cm 2 for HER and OER, respectively, in 1 M KOH. This finding provides a foundation for the development of highly efficient and multifunctional electrocatalysts toward energy conversion processes.

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