Biogenic Bovine Serum Albumin/Zn3(PO4)2/Cr2O3 hybrid electrocatalyst for improved oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

The fabrication of nanostructured protein-inorganic hybrid materials is crucial for the development of advanced multifunctional materials. Protein-inorganic mesoporous composites are gaining attention due to their remarkable properties, including large surface areas and active surface functional groups. We have successfully synthesized mesoporous BSA/Zn3(PO4)2/Cr2O3 catalysts to improve the kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in electrocatalytic water splitting for sustainable energy generation. This approach utilizes BSA in the synthesis process and is environmentally friendly. By adjusting the BSA quantity, we could control the yield of BSA/Zn3(PO4)2/Cr2O3 mesoporous. We employed various techniques, including FE-SEM, XRD, and FTIR, to analyze the morphology and structural characteristics of the biogenic BSA/Zn3(PO4)2/Cr2O3 electrocatalyst. Our comprehensive evaluation of the electrocatalytic OER activity of the BSA/Zn3(PO4)2/Cr2O3 hybrid structure demonstrated its remarkable performance. The biologically synthesized catalyst exhibited exceptional OER efficiency, maintaining a high current density of 10 mA cm−2 at very low overpotentials (only 216 mV) under alkaline conditions. The elongated peptide backbone of BSA significantly facilitated ion and electron transport, contributing to improved OER activity. The synergistic interaction between various amino acids from BSA and the metal ions within Zn3(PO4)2/Cr2O3 can be attributed to this enhancement, highlighting the potential of this hybrid structure in electrocatalytic OER applications.