Metal‐Organic‐Framework‐Derived Nitrogen‐Doped Hybrid Nickel‐Iron‐Sulfide Architectures on Carbon Cloth as Efficient Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

• Published in: ChemElectroChem Vol. 6; no. 10; pp. 2741 - 2747
• Main Authors: Shen, Yirui, Wang, Ling, Jiang, Pingping, Lee, Wee Siang Vincent, Xue, Junmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim John Wiley & Sons, Inc 15.05.2019
• Subjects: Aqueous solutions; Bimetals; Carbon; Carbonization; Cloth; Durability; Electrocatalysts; Intermetallic compounds; Iron; Iron compounds; Metal-organic frameworks; Nickel compounds; nickel-iron-sulfides; Nitrogen; nitrogen doping; oxygen evolution reaction; Oxygen evolution reactions; Sulfide compounds; Sulfurization
• ISSN: 2196-0216; 2196-0216
• DOI: 10.1002/celc.201900481

Metal‐organic framework (MOF)‐derived nitrogen‐doped NiFe‐sulfides/carbon hybrid architectures were successfully constructed on carbon cloth (CC) with different n(Ni)/n(Fe) ratios through a simultaneous carbonization and sulfurization procedure from the corresponding bimetal NiFe‐based MOFs. The samples were directly utilized as the working electrodes for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The optimal sample N‐NiFe‐S/C‐8/2@CC possessed superior OER electrocatalytic activity with a remarkably low overpotential of 232 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH aqueous solution. At the same time, a small Tafel slope of 58 mV dec−1 was achieved and excellent durability was also demonstrated. Such superior OER activity and durability of N‐NiFe‐S/C@CC may originate from a synergetic effect between Fe and Ni, the nitrogen‐doped carbon matrix derived from MOFs, and the direct growth of active materials on CC. This facile approach of preparing bimetal sulfide compounds derived from MOFs may be a viable method for designing and preparing high‐performing electrocatalytic materials for wider applications. Stable and productive: Metal‐organic‐framework‐derived nitrogen‐doped nickel−iron−sulfide/carbon hybrid electrocatalysts are successfully synthesized through a simple strategy and exhibited superior oxygen evolution reaction activity and stability.