Lamella-heterostructured nanoporous bimetallic iron-cobalt alloy/oxyhydroxide and cerium oxynitride electrodes as stable catalysts for oxygen evolution

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 1811 - 10
• Main Authors: Zeng, Shu-Pei, Shi, Hang, Dai, Tian-Yi, Liu, Yang, Wen, Zi, Han, Gao-Feng, Wang, Tong-Hui, Zhang, Wei, Lang, Xing-You, Zheng, Wei-Tao, Jiang, Qing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 31.03.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 119/118; 140/146; 147/135; 147/143; 639/301/299/1013; 639/301/299/886; Bimetals; Catalysts; Cerium; Cerium oxides; Cobalt; Current density; Electrocatalysts; Electrochemical analysis; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Electrolysis; Electron transfer; Evolution; Ferrous alloys; Heterostructures; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogen production; Interfaces; Iron; Lamella; Mass transport; multidisciplinary; Oxygen; Oxygen evolution reactions; Oxynitrides; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Water splitting
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37597-4

Developing robust nonprecious-metal electrocatalysts with high activity towards sluggish oxygen-evolution reaction is paramount for large-scale hydrogen production via electrochemical water splitting. Here we report that self-supported laminate composite electrodes composed of alternating nanoporous bimetallic iron-cobalt alloy/oxyhydroxide and cerium oxynitride (FeCo/CeO 2− x N x ) heterolamellas hold great promise as highly efficient electrocatalysts for alkaline oxygen-evolution reaction. By virtue of three-dimensional nanoporous architecture to offer abundant and accessible electroactive CoFeOOH/CeO 2− x N x heterostructure interfaces through facilitating electron transfer and mass transport, nanoporous FeCo/CeO 2− x N x composite electrodes exhibit superior oxygen-evolution electrocatalysis in 1 M KOH, with ultralow Tafel slope of ~33 mV dec −1 . At overpotential of as low as 360 mV, they reach >3900 mA cm −2 and retain exceptional stability at ~1900 mA cm −2 for >1000 h, outperforming commercial RuO 2 and some representative oxygen-evolution-reaction catalysts recently reported. These electrochemical properties make them attractive candidates as oxygen-evolution-reaction electrocatalysts in electrolysis of water for large-scale hydrogen generation. Developing stable catalysts for industrial-scale current densities is challenging. Here, the authors report self-supported laminate electrodes composed of nanoporous bimetallic iron-cobalt alloy/oxyhydroxide and cerium oxynitride hybrid that can catalyze the oxygen evolution reaction at high current densities.