From One-Pot to Powerhouse: Al-Fe₂O₃ Thin Films Coupled with Hexagonal ZnFe LDH for Water Oxidation in Alkaline...

As COVID-19 profoundly affected nations worldwide, there was a significant reduction in gas and electricity consumption, contrasting with the surplus production of oil and gas by companies. This situation has ignited a growing interest in researching alternative green fuels. Electrochemical water-splitting has emerged as a promising avenue for advancing the green hydrogen economy. However, the high costs associated with traditional catalysts have hindered the feasibility of this remarkable method on an industrial scale. Here, this study mainly objects to fabricating an efficient, low cost and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst and our focus has been on refining the morphology to enhance activity levels. The optimized one-pot synthesized 15% Al-doped Fe₂O₃/ZnFe LDH electrode exhibited a mere 230 mV overpotential to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm² with the appreciable Tafel slope of 77 mV/dec, R_ct and C_dl values. Theoretical investigations were undertaken to elucidate why the 15% doping concentration serves as a critical threshold limit. Both experimental and theoretical investigations delve into qualitatively accessing activity and durability along with the examination of the electronic, morphological, and magnetic properties of the material.