In situ synthesis of nitrogen doped carbon with embedded Co@CoO nanoparticles as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions.

A novel electrocatalyst of core-shell structural Co@Co3O4 nanoparticles embedded in an N-doped carbon nanosheet (N-C) (Co@Co3O4/N-C) has been in situ synthesized via a simple pyrolysis and subsequent oxidative calcination. The catalyst exhibits superior bifunctional catalytic activity for the ORR and OER, which is attributed to the synergetic effect between Co and Co3O4 and the carbon layer structure.