Boosting the Oxygen Evolution Reaction by Controllably Constructing FeNi₃/C Nanorods.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Transition bimetallic alloy catalysts offer economic and performance advantages for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• Developing efficient and stable electrocatalysts is crucial for energy conversion technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize FeNi3/C nanorods for improved OER performance.
• To investigate the effect of annealing temperature on the catalytic properties of FeNi3/C nanorods.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal reaction and thermal annealing were employed for FeNi3/C nanorod synthesis.
• Electrochemical tests, including cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry, were used for performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• FeNi3/C nanorods annealed at 400°C exhibited superior OER activity, with an overpotential of 250 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 84.9 mV dec-1.
• The enhanced performance is attributed to the formation of bimetallic alloy/carbon composites.
• The catalyst demonstrated excellent stability over 15 hours of operation.

Conclusions:

• FeNi3/C nanorods are promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.
• Optimizing annealing temperature is key to enhancing the catalytic efficiency of bimetallic alloy-carbon composites.
• This work provides a foundation for designing advanced bimetallic catalysts for OER applications.