Highly
active, cost-effective, and stable electrocatalyst for oxygen
evolution reaction (OER) is of primary importance in electrochemical
water splitting. Although the direct growth of active components on
the substrate is an effective strategy to enhance the catalytic activity,
the weak adhesion between active material and substrate tremendously
hampers their long-term utilization with excellent performance. Herein,
a three-dimensional (3D) hollow structure of NiFe-layered double hydroxide
(NiFe LDH) on NiFe foam (NiFe LDH@NiFe) is designed via acid-corrosion-induced
strategy. The self-supported electrode was obtained through a process
based on an autologous NiFe foam, in which the electrode/gas/electrolyte
interface and electrocatalyst/substrate interface are delicately engineered.
Remarkably, the NiFe LDH@NiFe only needs an ultralow overpotential
of 201 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm–2 for OER in 1 M KOH electrolyte, along with superb stability. The
high catalytic activity is attributed to the intimate connection between
the nanosheet arrays and substrate, superior intrinsic activity, and
fast electron transfer. More importantly, the excellent hydrophilicity
and aerophobicity of NiFe LDH@NiFe enables significantly improved
infiltration of electrolytes, quick release of oxygen bubbles, and
remarkably enhanced charge transfer. Thus, the obtained NiFe LDH@NiFe
holds promise for electrocatalytic applications. Finally, the growth
mechanism of NiFe LDH@NiFe is investigated and discussed in detail.