High-entropy layered double hydroxide catalyst decorated with Ag nanoparticles for highly efficient water oxidation

Abstract

Highly efficient and stable catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are urgently needed for water splitting. Here, a novel FeNiMnCuAl LDH catalyst decorated with Ag nanoparticles for OER was fabricated by the hydrothermal and chemical reduction method. The heterostructure catalyst exhibits a low over potential of 208 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a low Tafel slope of 60 mV dec−1. In addition, it has an excellent long-term stability for more than 50 h at a large current density of ∼100 mA cm−2. By combining the experiment and theoretical calculation, it shows that the increased conductivity and optimized energy barrier are responsible for the boosted intrinsic activity. This work not only provides a promising electrocatalyst but also broadens the application field of high-entropy materials.