Enhance the water oxidation performance of electrodeposited Ni(OH)2 through structure modulation by glutamic acid

Abstract

Ni(OH)2 has been extensively studied as a promising electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, enhancing its OER properties is still required and challenging. Here we reported that the OER activity of Ni(OH)2 can be improved with the structure modulation by glutamic acid (GA) through a simple co-electrodeposition process. The coordination effect of GA leads to the reduction of Ni2+ ions and enhances the generation of NiOOH sites during the activation process by cyclic voltammetry. The Ni(OH)2-GA anode shows remarkably enhanced OER activity than pristine Ni(OH)2 in alkaline media. Additionally, Fe-doping realizes further improvement in the OER activity of Ni(OH)2-GA, suggesting the possibility of achieving highly efficient electrocatalysts with cheap materials and an easy fabrication process.