FeCoNi alloy as noble metal-free electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER)

Abstract

The development of efficient and durable noble metal-free electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is highly desired in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) based water electrolysis and metal- air batteries but still remains a challenge. In this paper, we employ co-precipitation method to prepare layered double hydroxides followed by calcination to synthesize nanoalloy catalyst, which was further characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a novel OER electrocatalyst, the FeCoNi alloy catalyst shows remarkable OER activity enhancement with an overpotential of only 400 mV and a low Tafel slope 72 mV dec⁻¹. This work offers a unique paradigm for the synthesis of competitive electrocatalyst for OER with excellent durability under alkaline condition.