Copper–Iron Selenides Ultrafine Nanowires as Cost-Effective Catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction at Large-Current-Density
Fei Xu, Guangfu Qian, Wei Chen, Lin Luo, Fang Shen, Shibin Yin
Abstract
Exploring high-efficiency catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the key to enhance the efficiency of water splitting. Herein, we develop an integrated binder-free Cu–Fe/CF nanowire through a facile hydrothermal method followed by selenization treatment to obtain the aimed Se-rich Cu0.41Fe0.60Se1.99/CF ultrafine nanowire, which is used as an OER catalyst. Due to the existence of Fe and Se (to improve the catalytic activity of copper-based catalysts by increasing covalent bonds in metal–anion bonds) and the ultrafine nanowire structure, it exhibits enhanced OER performance with an ultralow overpotential (200 mV at 10 mA cm–2), a small Tafel slope of 46 mV dec–1, and long-term stability over 70 h at a current density of 100 mA cm–2 in an alkaline aqueous solution. This study thus provides a new way to fabricate resource-rich, cost-effective, and highly active Cu-based catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.