Boosting hydrogen generation by anodic oxidation of iodide over Ni-Co(OH)₂ nanosheet arrays

For overall water electrolysis, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is severely limited by the sluggish kinetics of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Therefore, replacing the OER with a more favorable anodic oxidation reaction with remarkable kinetics is of paramount significance, especially the one that can produce value-added chemicals. Moreover, time-saving and cost-effective strategies for the fabrication of electrodes are helpful for the wide application of electrolysis. Herein, thermodynamically more favorable iodide electrooxidation over Ni doped Co(OH)₂ nanosheet arrays (NSAs) in alkaline solution is presented as the alternative to the OER to boost the HER. And the active species are determined to be the reverse redox of the Co(iv)/Co(iii) couple. Remarkably, a negative shift of voltage of 320 mV is observed at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 after using iodide electrolysis to replace ordinary water splitting. The synthetic strategy and iodide oxidation in this work expand the application of Co-based materials in the field of energy-saving hydrogen production.