In-situ corrosion induced Zr-doped Ni/Fe (oxy)hydroxide layer on Ni-Fe foam realizing efficient electrocatalysis for oxygen evolution reaction

The synthesis of efficient and economical electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) by the energy-saving approach has far-reaching significance for the production of hydrogen by water electrolysis. Herein, a facile route was proposed to prepare Zr-doped Ni/Fe (oxy)hydroxide layer grown on Ni-Fe foam (Zr-NiFe(OH)x/NFF) by chloride ions in-situ corrosion strategy in “NaCl-ZrOCl2” mixed solution. The smooth NFF surface was effectively transformed into a rough multimetallic (oxy)hydroxide nanosheet with high electrochemical specific surface area and strong bonding to the substrate, resulting in excellent interface performance for mass transfer and charge transfer. Specifically, the incorporation of Zr4+ regulated the electronic environment around the Ni/Fe center, as a result, adsorption energies were optimized and the inherent OER activity of active sites was enhanced. The Zr-NiFe(OH)x/NFF self-supporting electrode exhibited outstanding OER electrocatalytic activity where low overpotentials of 211 and 245 mV were obtained to achieve 10 and 100 mA cm−2 respectively, along with impressive durability for 40 h. This work provides a simple strategy for low-cost and mass production of the robust OER self-supporting electrocatalysts.