FeNi LDH/V₂CT_x/NF as Self-Supported Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Highly Effective Overall Water Splitting

The development of bifunctional electrocatalysts with efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is still a key challenge at the current stage. Herein, FeNi LDH/V₂CT_x/nickel foam (NF) self-supported bifunctional electrode was prepared via deposition of FeNi LDH on V₂CT_x/NF substrate by hydrothermal method. Strong interfacial interaction between V₂CT_x/NF and FeNi LDH effectively prevented the aggregation of FeNi LDH, thus exposing more catalytic active sites, which improved electrical conductivity of the nanohybrids and structural stability. The results indicated that the prepared FeNi LDH/V₂CT_x/NF required 222 mV and 151 mV overpotential for OER and HER in 1 M KOH to provide 10 mA cm^-2, respectively. Besides, the FeNi LDH/V₂CT_x/NF electrocatalysts were applied to overall water splitting, which achieved a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 at 1.74 V. This work provides ideas for improving the electrocatalytic performance of electrocatalysts through simple synthesis strategies, structural adjustment, use of conductive substrates and formation of hierarchical structures.