Comparative Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction Studies of Spinel NiFe₂O₄ and Its Nanocarbon Hybrids

Abstract

Electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is one of the crucial reactions for converting renewable electricity into chemical fuel in the form of hydrogen. To date, there is still a challenge in designing ideal cost-effective OER catalysts with excellent activity and robust durability. The hybridization of transition metal oxides and carbonaceous materials is one of the most effective and promising strategies to develop high-performance electrocatalysts. Herein, this work synthesized hybrids of NiFe₂O₄ spinel materials with two-dimensional (2D) graphene oxide and one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes using a facile solvothermal approach. Electrocatalytic activities of NiFe₂O₄ with 2D graphene oxide toward OER were realized to be superior even to the 1D carbon nanotube-based electrocatalyst in terms of overpotential to reach a current density of 10 mA/cm² as well as Tafel slopes. The NiFe₂O₄ with 2D graphene oxide hybrid exhibits good stability with an overpotential of 327 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm² and a Tafel slope of 103 mV/dec. The high performance of NiFe₂O₄ with 2D graphene oxide is mainly attributed to its unique morphology, more exposed active sites, and a porous structure with a high surface area. Thus, an approach of hybridizing a metal oxide with a carbonaceous material offers an attractive platform for developing an efficient electrocatalyst for water electrochemistry applications.

Keywords

Oxygen evolution reaction / Metal oxide / Graphene oxide / Carbon nanotubes / Stability

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