NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) with abundant heterostructures
represents a state-of-the-art electrocatalyst for the alkaline oxygen
evolution reaction (OER). Herein, NiFe LDH/Fe2O3 nanosheet arrays have been fabricated by facile combustion of corrosion-engineered
NiFe foam (NFF). The in situ grown, self-supported electrocatalyst
exhibited a low overpotential of 248 mV for the OER at 50 mA cm–2, a small Tafel slope of 31 mV dec–1, and excellent durability over 100 h under the industrial benchmarking
500 mA cm–2 current density. A balanced Ni and Fe
composition under optimal corrosion and combustion contributed to
the desirable electrochemical properties. Comprehensive ex-situ analyses
and operando characterizations including Fourier-transformed alternating
current voltammetry (FTACV) and in situ Raman demonstrate the beneficial
role of modulated interfacial electron transfer, dynamic atomic structural
transformation to NiOOH, and the high-valence active metal sites.
This study provides a low-cost and easy-to-expand way to synthesize
efficient and durable electrocatalysts.