Activating Commercial Nickel Foam to a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction through a...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for energy conversion technologies.
• Direct utilization of abundant materials like commercial nickel foam (CNF) as catalysts requires effective surface modification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and effective method for reconstructing CNF into a high-performance OER electrocatalyst.
• To investigate the contribution of each step in the preactivation process on catalytic performance.

Main Methods:

• A three-step preactivation process involving calcination, high-voltage treatment, and immersion in electrolyte was employed.
• Electrochemical characterization was performed to evaluate OER performance in alkaline media.
• Surface morphology and elemental composition were analyzed to understand the reconstruction mechanism.

Main Results:

• The optimized CNF catalyst achieved low overpotentials of 228 mV (at 10 mA·cm⁻²) and 267 mV (at 100 mA·cm⁻²).
• The catalyst exhibited remarkable stability under a high current density of 500 mA·cm⁻² for extended periods.
• Calcination enlarged the active surface, high-voltage treatment altered Ni valence, and Fe heteroatom incorporation enhanced catalytic activity via Ni-Fe interactions.

Conclusions:

• A facile three-step preactivation method effectively transforms CNF into a highly efficient and stable OER electrocatalyst.
• The study highlights the synergistic effects of surface reconstruction, valence modulation, and heteroatom doping for enhanced catalytic performance.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for large-scale application of nickel-based catalysts in industrial processes.