Boosting the Electrocatalytic Activity of Nickel-Iron Layered Double Hydroxide for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction byTerephthalic Acid

Abstract

The development of a new type of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst to reduce the energy loss in the process of water electrolysis is of great significance to the realization of the industrialization of hydrogen energy storage. Herein, we report the catalysts of NiFe double-layer hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) mixed with different equivalent terephthalic acid (TPA), synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The catalyst synthesized with the use of the precursor solution containing one equivalent of TPA shows the best performance with the current density of 2 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 270 mV, the Tafel slope of 40 mV dec−1, and excellent stable electrocatalytic performance for OER. These catalysts were characterized in a variety of methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), and Raman spectrum proved the presence of TPA in the catalysts. The lamellar structure and the uniform distribution of Ni and Fe in the catalysts were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). In X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of NiFe-LDH with and without TPA, the changes in the peak positions of Ni and Fe spectra indicate strong electronic interactions between TPA and Ni and Fe atoms. These results suggest that a certain amount of TPA can boost catalytic activity.

Metal‐Organic Framework Derived Terephthalate Ligand Decorated TiO2 with Various Morphologies for Efficient Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

“…Linked to the C−O stretching of ester groups, a band at 1282 cm −1 may be explained via parallel dichroism [21,27] . The peak of 1680 cm −1 , corresponding to the carboxyl group in TPA, could be observed in all as‐prepared samples, [28] verifying the successful formation of TiO 2 and TPA phases in the samples. Consequently, these results further demonstrate the formation of TiO 2 /TPA composite.…”

Structural and Vibrational Properties of Carboxylates Intercalated into Layered Double Hydroxides: A Joint Computational and Experimental Study

“…Our findings show that combining computational and experimental work can significantly increase our knowledge of the microscopic structure of hybrid LDHs, making further steps toward a rational design of their properties. Increasing attention is being paid in the literature to hybrids containing carboxylate anions for applications in the electroand photo-catalysis domain [68][69][70][71]. The role of these groups may impact the reaction kinetics by acting as a Lewis base [69].…”

Recent Breakthrough in Layered Double Hydroxides and Their Applications in Petroleum, Green Energy, and Environmental Remediation

“…It is similar to the co-precipitation method, but the process is completed under the vapor pressure produced from the entrapped solution of the metal cations and precipitating agents in a Teflon-lined autoclave at an elevated temperature (120-180 • C) for a long time. The hydrothermal method can be performed by firstly precipitating the starting cations, as in the precipitation method, and then transporting the precipitate into the autoclave, or it can be completely performed in the autoclave [69,70]. Due to the high temperature and long-time of synthesis, the hydrothermal method usually yields LDHs that are sharply crystalline, of a high surface area, porous, and, in-turn, highly active adsorbents/catalysts.…”