Fe-doped NiCo₂O₄ hollow hierarchical sphere as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

We prepared porous Fe-doped nickel cobaltate (Fe-NiCo₂O₄) hollow hierarchical nanospheres through a facile self-templated synthetic strategy. Due to the porous hollow structure and composition, the Fe-NiCo₂O₄ presented vastly superior electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), compared with NiCo₂O₄ and the majority of other OER catalysts. With an aim of stimulating a current density of 10 mA·cm⁻², the Fe-NiCo₂O₄ catalyst needs an overpotential of 210 mV, which is on a par with the general properties of commercial IrO₂. In addition, the Fe-NiCo₂O₄ catalyst performed stably in long-term testing. The excellent activity and long-term stability showed that such catalysts have great promise for widespread application in the field of water splitting.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

ion exchange / hierarchical nanostructure / electronic structure transfer / oxygen evolution reaction / water splitting

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