Etching-Induced Surface Reconstruction of NiMoO4 for Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Jinli Zhu, Jinmei Qian, Xuebing Peng, Baori Xia, Daqiang Gao
Abstract
Abstract Rational reconstruction of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) pre-catalysts and performance index of OER catalysts are crucial but still challenging for universal water electrolysis. Herein, we develop a double-cation etching strategy to tailor the electronic structure of NiMoO 4 , where the prepared NiMoO 4 nanorods etched by H 2 O 2 reconstruct their surface with abundant cation deficiencies and lattice distortion. Calculation results reveal that the double cation deficiencies can make the upshift of d -band center for Ni atoms and the active sites with better oxygen adsorption capacity. As a result, the optimized sample (NMO-30M) possesses an overpotential of 260 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and excellent long-term durability of 162 h. Importantly, in situ Raman test reveals the rapid formation of high-oxidation-state transition metal hydroxide species, which can further help to improve the catalytic activity of NiMoO 4 in OER. This work highlights the influence of surface remodification and shed some light on activating catalysts.