NiFeRuO_x nanosheets on Ni foam as an electrocatalyst for efficient overall alkaline seawater splitting

Abstract

The electrocatalyst NiFeRuO_x/NF, comprised of NiFeRuO_x nanosheets grown on Ni foam, was synthesized using a hydrothermal process followed by thermal annealing. NiFeRuO_x/NF displays high electrocatalytic activity and stability for overall alkaline seawater splitting: 98 mV@ 10 mA∙cm⁻² in hydrogen evolution reaction, 318 mV@ 50 mA∙cm⁻² in oxygen evolution reaction, and a cell voltage of 1.53 V@ 10 mA∙cm⁻², as well as 20 h of durability. A solar-driven system containing such a bifunctional NiFeRuO_x/NF has an almost 100% Faradaic efficiency. The NiFeRuO_x coating around Ni foam is an anti-corrosion layer and also a critical factor for enhancement of bifunctional performances.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

NiFeRuO_x nanosheets / Ni foam / electrocatalysis / overall seawater splitting / solar-driven system

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Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by National Key R&D Program of China (Grant Nos. 2022YFB3805600 and 2022YFB3805604), South Africa’s National Research Foundation through the SARChI Chair in Materials Electrochemistry and Energy Technologies (Grant No. 132739), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 22293020), National 111 project (Grant No. B20002), Program for Innovative Research Team in University of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. IRT_15R52), Sino-German Centre’s COVID-19 Related Bilateral Collaborative Project (Grant No. C-0046), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. 2022A1515010137), Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (Grant Nos. GJHZ20210705143204014, JCYJ20210324142010029, and KCXFZ20211020170006010).

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-023-2334-8 and is accessible for authorized users.

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