Bimetallic Oxyhydroxide as a High-Performance Water Oxidation Electrocatalyst under Industry-Relevant Conditions
Jiaxin Yuan,
Xiaodi Cheng,
Chaojun Lei,
Bin Yang,
Zhongjian Li,
Kun Luo,
K.H. Koko Lam,
Lecheng Lei,
Yang Hou,
Kostya Ken Ostrikov
Affiliations
Jiaxin Yuan
Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Xiaodi Cheng
Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Chaojun Lei
Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Bin Yang
Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Zhongjian Li
Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Kun Luo
State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
K.H. Koko Lam
Department of Electrical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China
Lecheng Lei
Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Yang Hou
Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Institute of Zhejiang University–Quzhou, Quzhou 324000, China; Corresponding author.
Kostya Ken Ostrikov
School of Chemistry, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
Developing high-performing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts under high-current operation conditions is critical for future commercial applications of alkaline water electrolysis for clean energy generation. Herein, we prepared a three-dimensional (3D) bimetallic oxyhydroxide hybrid grown on a Ni foam (NiFeOOH/NF) prepared by immersing Ni foam (NF) into Fe(NO3)3 solution. In this unique 3D structure, the NiFeOOH/NF hybrid was composed of crystalline Ni(OH)2 and amorphous FeOOH evenly grown on the NF surface. As a bimetallic oxyhydroxide electrocatalyst, the NiFeOOH/NF hybrid exhibited excellent catalytic activity, surpassing not only the other reported Ni–Fe based electrocatalysts, but also the commercial Ir/C catalyst. In situ electrochemical Raman spectroscopy demonstrated the active FeOOH and NiOOH phases involved in the OER process. Profiting from the synergy of Fe and Ni catalytic sites, the NiFeOOH/NF hybrid delivered an outstanding OER performance under challenging industrial conditions in a 10.0 mol∙L−1 KOH electrolyte at 80 °C, requiring potentials as small as 1.47 and 1.51 V to achieve the super-high catalytic current densities of 100 and 500 mA∙cm−2, respectively.
