Facile Fabrication of Amorphous Ni−P Supported on a 3D Biocarbon Skeleton as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract Transition metals with intrinsic electrocatalytic activity usually suffer from low anodic instability when used as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This work draws inspiration from stainless metals to synthesize highly anticorrosive amorphous Ni−P via electroless deposition. Holly leaves with three‐dimensional micro/nanoarchitecture were firstly calcined at 800 °C in nitrogen to obtain self‐supporting biocarbon as the substrate for eletroless deposition. After depositing Ni−P for 30 min, the as‐obtained Ni−P/carbonized leaf (Ni−P/CL) composite showed an excellent electrocatalytic performance for the OER. Benefiting from the high electronic conductivity and catalytic activity of Ni−P, and the efficient mass transport behavior in the three‐dimensional architecture, a low overpotential of 300 mV was required to reach a current density of 40 mA cm −2 . The anticorrosive amorphous and P‐doping feature of Ni−P can prevent catalytic active species from leaching out; and to some extent, can protect the biocarbon substrate from corrosion during the OER process. The current retained 85.7 % of the initial value after performing at 1.6 V (vs. RHE) for 12 h.