Nickel/cobalt oxide as a highly efficient OER electrocatalyst in an alkaline polymer electrolyte water electrolyzer

Abstract

Water electrolysis by an alkaline solid polymer electrolyte (APE) water electrolyzer is a promising approach for hydrogen production from water. In this work, Ni/Co oxides were prepared by a hydrothermal method, and used as a high-efficiency OER electrocatalyst in an APE water electrolyzer. The APE water electrolyzer assembled with the as-prepared Ni/Co oxides and home-made APE showed a nearly constant operating potential, ∼2.03 V @ 100 mA cm⁻² in 1 wt% KHCO₃ solution for about 550 h in a durability test, indicating the catalyst with good stability can meet the long-term durability requirements of the water electrolyzer. This result shows the practical application of Ni/Co oxides in an alkaline solid polymer electrolyte electrolyzer.