Boron‐ and Iron‐Incorporated α‐Co(OH)2 Ultrathin Nanosheets as an Efficient Oxygen Evolution Catalyst

Abstract Electrochemical water splitting is a critical technology for various energy storage and conversion devices, but it is greatly restricted by the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, an effective electrocatalyst of boron‐ and iron‐incorporated α‐Co(OH) 2 (B‐α‐Co 5.8 Fe LDH)ultrathin nanosheets was synthesized for the OER by using sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as a mild alkali and boron source in ethylene glycol/water system (EG‐W). Benefiting from the large accessible surface area (563 m 2 g −1 ) and the synergistic effect of Co−Fe−B,the catalyst (B‐α‐Co 5.8 Fe LDH) exhibits improved activity and stability in 1 M KOH solution with a low overpotential (264 mV at 10 mA cm −2 ) and Tafel slope (34 mV dec −1 ). In addition, this method was also applied to fabricate boron‐ and iron‐incorporated α‐Ni(OH) 2 . This study should inspire a new pathway to design highly efficient OER catalysts.