Phytochemical-assisted green synthesis of CuFeOx nano-rose electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media

This study represents a green synthesis method for fabricating an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrode by depositing two-dimensional CuFeO_x on nickel foam (NF). Two-dimensional CuFeO_x was deposited on NF using in situ hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of Aloe vera extract. This phytochemical-assisted synthesis of CuFeO_x resulted in a unique nano-rose-like morphology (petal diameter 30-70 nm), which significantly improved the electrochemical surface area of the electrode. The synthesized electrode was analyzed for its OER electrocatalytic activity and it was observed that using 75% Aloe vera extract in the phytochemical-assisted synthesis of CuFeO_x resulted in improved OER electrocatalytic performance by attaining an overpotential of 310 mV for 50 mA cm^-2 and 410 mV for 100 mA cm^-2. The electrode also sustained robust stability throughout the 50 h of chronopotentiometry studies under alkaline electrolyte conditions, demonstrating its potential as an efficient OER electrode material. This study highlights the promising use of Aloe vera extract as a green and cost-effective way to synthesize efficient OER electrode materials.