The development of high-performance and inexpensive electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction is one of the most desired objectives in energy conversion reactions. Due to sluggish reaction kinetics, the commercialization of such processes could not be achieved yet. Choosing an appropriate coupling interface to boost the catalyst performance is essential for the creation of high-efficiency electrocatalysts. Herein, metal-nitride and metal-fluoride heterostructures are reported with an extremely low overpotential of 180 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm −2 for OER application. The Co−Ni 3 N/CeF 3 catalyst shows strong interfacial interaction, causing significant electronic redistribution between Co−Ni 3 N and CeF 3 phases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal the charge transfer from the Co−Ni 3 N to the CeF 3 phase, resulting in the augmentation in the valence states of Co and Ni and making them highly active sites for the adsorption of intermediates (O*, OH*, and HOO*). This phenomenon is possibly driven by the high polarity of CeF 3 due to the presence of highly electronegative F atoms. The stability study of the catalyst was performed for 120 h at large current densities of 100 and 200 mA cm −2 . The detailed analysis of the surface reconstruction of Co−Ni 3 N/CeF 3 is also carried out after a long-term stability test. This work offers a fresh look at the possibilities of the design and fabrication of an efficient and low-cost catalyst.

Sustainable hydrogen generation is a necessity for implementing the hydrogen economy of the future. In recent decades, the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has piqued researchers' interest as a key...

Electrocatalytically active interface in a heterostructure is extremely crucial to obtain optimum adsorption energy of intermediates (O*, OH*, and HOO*) and faster electron transfer. Due to the slow kinetics of...

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Electrochemical conversion technologies rely on the design and creation of highly efficient electrocatalysts. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which has applications in water splitting and metal–air batteries, is a crucial process in such conversions. Herein, a bimetallic Co, Ni-based ultrathin metal–organic framework nanoribbon (NiCo-NR) is reported for an efficient OER. It is proposed that in ultrathin MOF nanoribbons, the surface atoms (Co, Ni) are coordinatively unsaturated, due to which the interatomic electron transfer within the MOF makes more active adsorption sites on the surface. The catalyst exhibits an overpotential of 244 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm–2 with a Tafel slope value of 85 mV dec–1. For the stability experiment, the catalyst was exposed for 35 h of uninterrupted operation at a current density of 100 mA cm–2. Our findings showed that coordinatively unsaturated transition metal atoms were dominant active sites and the electrocatalytic activity can be tuned by the coupling interactions of Ni and Co metals. The excess eg-orbital filling of the Ni atom, which limits the electrocatalytic performance, can be reduced by π-donation from Ni to Co through the oxygen atom.