Amorphous FeNiNbPC nanoprous structure for efficient and stable electrochemical oxygen evolution.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is vital for water splitting but faces challenges due to slow kinetics and high overpotential.
• Developing cost-effective, highly efficient, and stable OER catalysts is critical for industrial hydrogen production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a free-standing amorphous catalyst with a nanoporous structure for enhanced OER performance.
• To investigate the catalytic activity and stability of the novel Fe$_{x}$Ni$_{77-x}$Nb$_{3}$P$_{13}$C$_{7}$ material.

Main Methods:

• Electrochemical dealloying was employed to create a nanoporous structure in amorphous Fe$_{x}$Ni$_{77-x}$Nb$_{3}$P$_{13}$C$_{7}$ alloys.
• The OER performance was evaluated by measuring overpotential and current density in a 6 M KOH solution.

Main Results:

• The synthesized nanoporous Fe$_{50}$Ni$_{27}$Nb$_{3}$P$_{13}$C$_{7}$ (np-Fe$_{50}$Ni$_{27}$Nb$_{3}$P$_{13}$C$_{7}$) exhibited a low OER overpotential of 248 mV at 10 mA cm$^{-2}$.
• The catalyst demonstrated remarkable long-term stability during the oxygen evolution reaction.
• Improved performance is attributed to bimetallic synergy, reduced charge transfer resistance, nanoporous architecture, and amorphous nature.

Conclusions:

• Electrochemical dealloying is a promising method for creating high-performance, non-noble metal OER catalysts.
• The developed free-standing amorphous nanoporous catalysts offer a viable pathway for efficient water splitting and hydrogen production.