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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Disclosure of potential conflicts of interests

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Department of Education Basic Research Operating Costs of Heilongjiang Province, China (Grant No. 135309353).

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