Abstract
Electrocatalytic water splitting is an efficient route to generate renewable energy sources, in which the noble metal materials are usually used as electrocatalysts. But the high price and scarcity of these catalysts impede their large-scale applications. Ni-based materials are considered to be the most suitable catalytic materials to substitute these noble metal materials. In this paper, the monodispersed α-Ni(OH)2 microspheres assembled by ultrathin nanosheets were synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. This method was surfactant-free and no any precipitator was used. The as-obtained products were well characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermal gravimetric (TG) analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm indicate that the BET surface area of the products was 169.94 m2g-1, and the pore-size distribution centered at 3.5 nm. Then, the electrochemical properties were evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) in 1 M KOH. At a current density of 10 mA cm2, the overpotential for the α-Ni(OH)2-MS is 320mV, and the Tafel slope is 98.7 mV dec-1, indicating its excellent reaction kinetics for an efficient catalyst toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
Highlights
The depletion of fossil energy has caused many serious environmental problems, such as air pollution and greenhouse effect (Dou et al, 2016; Tahir et al, 2017)
This study presents a simple and economical method to synthesize high performance non-noble electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and is significant for the development of water splitting
The monodispersed α-Ni(OH)2 microspheres assembled by ultrathin nanosheets were successfully synthesized by a facile and surfactant-free solvothermal method
Summary
The depletion of fossil energy has caused many serious environmental problems, such as air pollution and greenhouse effect (Dou et al, 2016; Tahir et al, 2017). The previous reports have pointed out that Ni-based materials have a large potential as the OER catalysts for water splitting and are regarded as one type of excellent electrocatalysts (Subbaraman et al, 2012).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
