Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction Performance on NiS_x@Co₃O₄/Nickel Foam Electrocatalysts with Their Photothermal Property

Abstract

Based on the principle of heterogeneous catalysis for water electrolysis, electrocatalysts with appropriate electronic structure and photothermal property are expected to drive the oxygen evolution reaction effectively. Herein, amorphous NiS x -coupled nanourchin-like Co3O4 was prepared on nickel foam (NiS x @Co3O4/NF) and investigated as a electrocatalyst for photothermal-assisted oxygen evolution reaction. The experimental investigations and simulant calculations jointly revealed NiS x @Co3O4/NF to be of suitable electronic structure and high near-infrared photothermal conversion capability to achieve the oxygen evolution reaction advantageously both in thermodynamics and in kinetics. Relative to Co3O4/NF and NiS x /NF, better oxygen evolution reaction activity, kinetics, and stability were achieved on NiS x @Co3O4/NF in 1.0 M KOH owing to the NiS x /Co3O4 synergetic effect. In addition, the oxygen evolution reaction performance of NiS x @Co3O4/NF can be obviously enhanced under near-infrared light irradiation, since NiS x @Co3O4 can absorb the near-infrared light to produce electric and thermal field. For the photothermal-mediated oxygen evolution reaction, the overpotential and Tafel slope of NiS x @Co3O4/NF at 50 mA cm–2 were reduced by 23 mV and 13 mV/dec, respectively. The present work provides an inspiring reference to design and develop photothermal-assisted water electrolysis using abundant solar energy.

Solid-state synthesis of diminutively granular and highly crystalline manganese hexacyanoferrate for a supercapacitor electrode

“…In the high-frequency region, the radius of the semicircle represents the interfacial charge-transfer resistance (R ct ). 29,30 Compared with MnHCF-E, MnHCF-H and MnHCF-C electrodes, MnHCF has a smaller semicircle, indicating that MnHCF has superior charge transfer properties. The slope of the line in the low frequency region represents the diffusion resistance (Warburg impedance) of the electrolyte and proton diffusion in the electrode material, which is caused by the diffusion of ions or protons to the electrode surface.…”

An enhanced electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction by the photothermal effect and its induced micro-electric field

“…RHE. 35,36 Therefore, it can be assumed that NiS x /NiFe hydroxide would facilitate the formation of more suitable Ni 2+ /Ni 3+ ratios, thus driving an efficient OER.…”

Rational Construction of a Triple-Phase Reaction Zone Using CuO-Based Heterostructure Nanoarrays for Enhanced Water Oxidation Reaction

“…The urgent demand to address the fossil fuel crisis and mitigate the environmental degradation has prompted a global push to advance cutting-edge technologies for storing solar power and producing sustainable clean energy. , The oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a complicated four-electron-participated process with sluggish reactive kinetics, has been regarded as a fundamental bottleneck in rising carbon-neutral energy technologies such as water splitting and Zn–air batteries. , Although RuO 2 and IrO 2 are highly active materials for the OER, their high price and unsatisfactory durability have restricted their utilization on a large scale . Therefore, it is significant to develop alternative earth-abundant transition-metal electrocatalysts that are cost-effective, having remarkable OER activity and stability, including Co-, Mn-, Cu-, and Ni-related oxides because of their inherently regulable geometric and electronic properties, and environmental friendliness. − …”

“…To further boost OER performance for transition-metal oxides (TMOs), many researchers offered a variety of tactics (such as interface engineering, defect, dopant, or single-atom design) to enhance the intrinsic activity of catalytic sites through optimizing the adsorption free energy of key intermediates to expedite the rate-determined step in the entire reactions. − Additionally, the increased specific surface area in electrocatalysts may also add the density of electrocatalytic active sites, i.e. porous nanostructures .…”