Preparation of Flower-like Copper Foam Supported Co3O4 Electrocatalyst and Its Hydrogen Evolution Performance

Flower-like copper foam Co3O4 catalysts (Co3O4/CF) were prepared by hydrothermal method. The crystalline structure and microscopic morphology of the prepared samples were characterized by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the electrochemical properties were investigated by an electrochemical workstation. The experimental results show that the Co3O4 catalysts are successfully prepared on the foamed copper support by hydrothermal method, and the material’s morphology is mainly flower cluster. When the current density is 10 mA·cm−2, the overpotential value of the Co3O4/CF catalyst is 141 mV, lower than that of blank support. The electrochemical impedance (EIS) spectrum shows that the Rct value of the Co3O4/CF catalyst decreases, and the Coulomb curves of double-layer show that the electrochemically active area of the Co3O4/CF catalyst efficiently increases compared with that of the blank support. Therefore, the as-obtained Co3O4/CF catalyst exhibits a good hydrogen evolution rate, showing great applicability potential in the catalytic electrolysis of water for hydrogen production.