Issue 9, 2016

Amorphous mixed-metal hydroxide nanostructures for advanced water oxidation catalysts

Abstract

The design of highly efficient, durable, and earth-abundant catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial in order to promote energy conversion and storage processes. Here, we synthesize amorphous mixed-metal (Ni–Fe) hydroxide nanostructures with a homogeneous distribution of Ni/Fe as well as a tunable Ni/Fe ratio by a simple, facile, green and low-cost electrochemical technique, and we demonstrate that the synthesized amorphous nanomaterials possess ultrahigh activity and super long-term cycle stability in the OER process. The amorphous Ni0.71Fe0.29(OH)x nanostructure affords a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of a mere 0.296 V and a small Tafel slope of 58 mV dec−1, while no deactivation is detected in the CV testing even up to 30 000 cycles, which suggests the promising application of these amorphous nanomaterials in electrochemical oxidation. Meanwhile, the distinct catalytic activities among these amorphous Ni–Fe hydroxide nanostructures prompts us to take notice of the composition of the alloy hydroxides/oxides when studying their catalytic properties, which opens an avenue for the rational design and controllable preparation of such amorphous nanomaterials as advanced OER electrocatalysts.

Graphical abstract: Amorphous mixed-metal hydroxide nanostructures for advanced water oxidation catalysts

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
18 Dec 2015
Accepted
02 Feb 2016
First published
02 Feb 2016

Nanoscale, 2016,8, 5015-5023

Amorphous mixed-metal hydroxide nanostructures for advanced water oxidation catalysts

Y. Q. Gao, X. Y. Liu and G. W. Yang, Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 5015 DOI: 10.1039/C5NR08989A

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