Oxygen vacancy induced construction of NiCo2O4/NiSe2 heterostructure electrocatalyst for high-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction
Dongxu Zhu, G. Liu, Guangjiang Zhang, Zihao Yin, Huan Yang, Shuai Gao, Chenhe Zhang, Xinguo Xi
Abstract
Spinel-type transition metal oxide (AB 2 O 4 ) are promising non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), addressing the challenges of high cost and poor stability in electrocatalytic water splitting. However, their widespread application is hindered by low electrical conductivity and suboptimal performance. In this study, we developed an oxygen vacancy anchoring strategy to construct a highly efficient and durable NiCo 2 O 4 -NiSe 2 heterojunction catalyst on a nickel foam substrate. The three-dimensional cross-linked porous nanorod array facilitates mass and charge transportation. The abundant interconnected interfaces enhance electron transfer kinetics and adsorption of OH intermediates, as confirmed by theoretical simulations. As a result, the as-synthesized NiCo 2 O 4 @NiSe 2 /NF exhibits an overpotential of only 299 mV at a current density of 60 mA cm −2 , significantly outperforming the single-phase NiCo 2 O 4 and demonstrating exceptional durability.