One-Step Synthesis of NiFe Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheet Array/N-Doped Graphite Foam Electrodes for Oxygen Evolution Reactions

ChemistryOpen. 2019 Jul 24;8(7):1027-1032. doi: 10.1002/open.201900190. eCollection 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Developing cost-effective and highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is vital for the production of clean hydrogen by electrocatalytic water splitting. Here, three dimensional nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (NiFe LDH) nanosheet arrays are in-situ fabricated on self-supporting nitrogen doped graphited foam (NGF) via a one-step hydrothermal process under an optimized amount of urea. The as prepared NiFe LDH/NGF electrode exhibits a remarkable activity toward OER with a low onset overpotential of 233 mV and a Tafel slope of 59.4 mV dec-1 as well as a long-term durability. Such good performance is attributed to the synergy among the doping effect, the binder-free characteristic, and the architecture of the nanosheet array.

Keywords: doped graphite foam; hydrothermal synthesis; nanosheet arrays; oxygen evolution reactions; water splitting.