(510e) Electrocatalyst Development for Active and Durable Oxygen Evolution Reaction (Invited)

Material novelty is momentous for electrocatalyst in striding into a renewable energy era. Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great significance for hydrogen production via water electrolysis, but has a high energy barrier that limits the energy conversion efficiency. To overcome this issue, new electrocatalyst with high OER activity and good durability is demanded.

Herein we report our research efforts on development of new catalytic structures for OER electrocatalysis, including Ru nanosheets, holy nickel hydroxide nanosheets, and amorphous porous NiFePB. In particular, the NiFePB exhibits an extraordinarily low overpotential of 197 mV to reach an OER current density of 10 mA/cm2 and 233 mV to reach 100 mA/cm2 under chronopotentiometry condition, with the Tafel slope harmoniously conforming to 34 mV/dec. The catalyst also has an impressive long-term stability, evidenced by a limited activity decay for more than 50-h in a wide current density range from 10 to 200 mA/cm2. The work strategically directs a way for heading up a promising energy conversion alternative.