Boron‐ and Iron‐Incorporated α‐Co(OH)2 Ultrathin Nanosheets as an Efficient Oxygen Evolution Catalyst

Abstract

AbstractElectrochemical water splitting is a critical technology for various energy storage and conversion devices, but it is greatly restricted by the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, an effective electrocatalyst of boron‐ and iron‐incorporated α‐Co(OH)2 (B‐α‐Co5.8Fe LDH)ultrathin nanosheets was synthesized for the OER by using sodium tetraphenylborate (NaTPB) as a mild alkali and boron source in ethylene glycol/water system (EG‐W). Benefiting from the large accessible surface area (563 m2 g−1) and the synergistic effect of Co−Fe−B,the catalyst (B‐α‐Co5.8Fe LDH) exhibits improved activity and stability in 1 M KOH solution with a low overpotential (264 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and Tafel slope (34 mV dec−1). In addition, this method was also applied to fabricate boron‐ and iron‐incorporated α‐Ni(OH)2. This study should inspire a new pathway to design highly efficient OER catalysts.