Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
05:41
Photochemical Oxidative Growth of Iridium Oxide Nanoparticles on CdSe@CdS Nanorods
Published on: February 11, 2016
10.0K
A Ru-doped NiFe-LDH based on a self-supporting electrode as an efficient and stable OER electrocatalyst for alkaline
Hai-Lang Jia1, Yu-Jie Lu1, Kai-Cheng Liu1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Storage and Conversion, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001, P. R. China. jiahailang85@126.com.
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
|November 24, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a novel non-precious metal electrocatalyst, Ru/NiFe-LDH-40/NF, for alkaline water-splitting. This catalyst demonstrates superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity and stability, outperforming commercial RuO2.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Non-precious metal electrocatalysts are essential for efficient alkaline water-splitting.
- Developing stable and active oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts is critical for advancing water-splitting technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel self-supported Ru-doped NiFe-LDH electrocatalysts grown in situ on nickel foam (Ru/NiFe-LDH-x/NF).
- To evaluate the OER catalytic activity, stability, and kinetics of the synthesized catalysts in an alkaline medium.
- To investigate the role of Ru doping in enhancing the catalytic performance using DFT+U calculations.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of self-supported Ru/NiFe-LDH-x/NF electrocatalysts via Ru doping and in situ growth on nickel foam.
- Electrochemical characterization including overpotential measurements, Tafel slope analysis, and charge transfer impedance.
- Long-term stability testing at high current densities.
- Density Functional Theory (DFT+U) calculations to elucidate the mechanism of Ru doping.
Main Results:
- Ru/NiFe-LDH-40/NF exhibited the highest OER activity and stability, with a low overpotential of 208 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² in 1 M KOH.
- The catalyst demonstrated excellent performance at higher current densities (271 mV at 100 mA cm⁻², 296 mV at 300 mA cm⁻²), surpassing commercial RuO₂.
- Achieved a low Tafel slope of 30 mV dec⁻¹, minimal charge transfer impedance (0.49 Ω), and sustained stability for 100 hours at 400 mA cm⁻².
- DFT+U calculations confirmed that Ru doping optimizes intermediate adsorption, enhancing reaction kinetics.
Conclusions:
- Ru-doped NiFe-LDH grown on nickel foam is a highly effective non-precious metal electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline water-splitting.
- The optimized Ru doping significantly improves catalytic activity, kinetics, and long-term stability.
- This work provides a promising pathway for developing advanced electrocatalysts for efficient and cost-effective water-splitting applications.
