Anchoring Ni doped Mn3O4 on Bimetallic CoFe Layered Double Hydroxide for Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

The advancement of highly effective electrocatalysts for water electrolysis applications has become a prominent topic of interest. In particular, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) has garnered considerable attention due to the substantial overpotential associated with the intricate four-electron transfer coupled reaction. Developing two-dimensional, nonprecious, and durable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) is crucial for advancing commercial water-splitting technology. Herein, we have constructed a 2D heterostructure Ni doped Mn3O4 /CoFe layered double hydroxides (LDH) mixed composite on a GCE substrate using a low temperature one-step co-precipitation synthesis method. The as-prepared Ni doped Mn3O4 /NiFe LDH (40 wt%) electrocatalyst drives a 10 mA/cm2 OER with the lowest reported overpotential of 330 mV and a Tafel slope 38 mV/dec OER process in 1 MKOH electrolyte. These OER activities are superior to that of the state-of-the-art RuO2 OER electrocatalyst. The excellent OER activity appears to be due to the synergetic effect of CoFe LDHs and Ni doped Mn3O4. In addition, the presence of relatively non expensive Ni metal exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in alkaline medium and the Ni doped Mn3O4 /NiFe LDH composite sheets provides many active edge sites, which contributes to improving the electronic conductivity of the electrocatalyst.