Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is pivotal in hydrogen production via water electrolysis, yet its sluggish kinetics, stemming from the four-electron transfer process, remain a major obstacle, with overpotential reduction being critical for enhancing efficiency. This work addresses this challenge...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Xiaoguang San Wanmeng Wu Xueying Li Lei Zhang Jian Qi Dan Meng |
| author_facet | Xiaoguang San Wanmeng Wu Xueying Li Lei Zhang Jian Qi Dan Meng |
| author_sort | Xiaoguang San |
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| description | The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is pivotal in hydrogen production via water electrolysis, yet its sluggish kinetics, stemming from the four-electron transfer process, remain a major obstacle, with overpotential reduction being critical for enhancing efficiency. This work addresses this challenge by developing a novel approach to stabilize and activate non-precious metal catalysts for OER. Specifically, we synthesized a three-dimensional flake NiFe-LDH/ZIF-L composite catalyst on a flexible nickel foam (NF) substrate through a room temperature soaking and hydrothermal method, leveraging the mesoporous structure of ZIF-L to increase the specific surface area and optimizing electron transfer pathways via interfacial regulation. Continuous linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) scanning induced structural self-reconstruction, forming highly active NiOOH species enriched with oxygen vacancies, which significantly boosted catalytic performance. Experimental results demonstrate an overpotential of only 221 mV at 10 mA cm<sup>−2</sup> and a Tafel slope of 56.3 mV dec<sup>−1</sup>, alongside remarkable stability, attributed to the catalyst’s hierarchical nanostructure that accelerates mass diffusion and charge transfer. The innovation lies in the synergistic effect of the mesoporous ZIF-L structure and interfacial regulation, which collectively enhance the catalyst’s activity and durability, offering a promising strategy for advancing large-scale water electrolysis hydrogen production technology. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-cbb43daf8f7c40798a3e357913db48342025-08-20T03:29:48ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-06-013012263210.3390/molecules30122632Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution ReactionXiaoguang San0Wanmeng Wu1Xueying Li2Lei Zhang3Jian Qi4Dan Meng5College of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, ChinaCollege of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, ChinaCollege of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, ChinaCollege of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, ChinaCollege of Chemical Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, ChinaThe oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is pivotal in hydrogen production via water electrolysis, yet its sluggish kinetics, stemming from the four-electron transfer process, remain a major obstacle, with overpotential reduction being critical for enhancing efficiency. This work addresses this challenge by developing a novel approach to stabilize and activate non-precious metal catalysts for OER. Specifically, we synthesized a three-dimensional flake NiFe-LDH/ZIF-L composite catalyst on a flexible nickel foam (NF) substrate through a room temperature soaking and hydrothermal method, leveraging the mesoporous structure of ZIF-L to increase the specific surface area and optimizing electron transfer pathways via interfacial regulation. Continuous linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) scanning induced structural self-reconstruction, forming highly active NiOOH species enriched with oxygen vacancies, which significantly boosted catalytic performance. Experimental results demonstrate an overpotential of only 221 mV at 10 mA cm<sup>−2</sup> and a Tafel slope of 56.3 mV dec<sup>−1</sup>, alongside remarkable stability, attributed to the catalyst’s hierarchical nanostructure that accelerates mass diffusion and charge transfer. The innovation lies in the synergistic effect of the mesoporous ZIF-L structure and interfacial regulation, which collectively enhance the catalyst’s activity and durability, offering a promising strategy for advancing large-scale water electrolysis hydrogen production technology.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/12/2632oxygen evolution reactionnickel–iron layered double hydroxideoxygen vacanciesself-reconstruction |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoguang San Wanmeng Wu Xueying Li Lei Zhang Jian Qi Dan Meng Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction Molecules oxygen evolution reaction nickel–iron layered double hydroxide oxygen vacancies self-reconstruction |
| title | Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction |
| title_full | Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction |
| title_fullStr | Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction |
| title_short | Rich Oxygen Vacancies Induced by Surface Self-Reconstruction in Sandwich-like Hierarchical Structured Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction |
| title_sort | rich oxygen vacancies induced by surface self reconstruction in sandwich like hierarchical structured electrocatalyst for boosting oxygen evolution reaction |
| topic | oxygen evolution reaction nickel–iron layered double hydroxide oxygen vacancies self-reconstruction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/12/2632 |
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