Integrating high-efficiency oxygen evolution catalysts featuring accelerated surface reconstruction from waste printed circuit boards via a boriding recycling strategy

Integrating high-efficiency oxygen evolution catalysts from the waste printed circuit board leachates is achieved via a one-step boriding recycling strategy. • Mixed metal borides (FeNiCuSnBs) were obtained from waste printed circuit boards via a facile boriding process. • High metal ion recovery rates (over 99.40 %) are achieved for Fe, Ni, Cu and Sn via the boriding process. • The optimal metal boride exhibits a record‐high activity ( η 10 = 199 mV) among waste-derived OER electrocatalysts. • The metal borides features accelerated surface self-reconstruction via B and Sn co-etching under OER conditions. • The in-situ generated metal (oxy)hydroxides act as the catalytic active sites. Converting electronic wastes into high-efficiency energy conversion catalysts is a win-win strategy in addressing the metal resources shortage and sustainable energy challenges. Herein, a facile boriding strategy is developed to directly convert the leachates of waste printed circuit boards into magnetic mixed metal borides (FeNiCuSnBs) for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. Via the boriding process, a metal cation recovery rate of 99.78 %, 99.98 %, 99.96 %, and 99.49 % has been attained for Fe, Ni, Cu, and Sn, respectively. The obtained catalysts with a higher ratio of Ni and Fe show better OER performance. The optimal FNCSB-4 attains 10 mA cm −2 at a low overpotential of 199 mV, as well as good stability in alkaline solution. Remarkably, FNCSB-4 represents a record‐high activity among waste-derived OER electrocatalysts. In-depth study suggests that the superior OER performance is mainly owing to accelerated surface self-reconstruction by B/Sn co-etching under OER potential region, and the newly formed multimetal (oxy)hydroxides act as the active species for OER. Additionally, the efficient mass/charge transfer, the amorphous feature, and hierarchical structure also benefit OER. Apart from providing an insight into the correlation between surface self-reconstruction and OER activity of multimetal boride-based catalysts, this study also offers a general strategy for the high-efficiency recovery and advanced energy-driven applications of critical metals from other urban mines in a sustainable and environment-friendly approach.