Interface engineering for enhancing electrocatalytic oxygen evolution of NiFe LDH/NiTe heterostructures

Abstract

Interface engineering of electrocatalysts is a promising strategy to modulate their corresponding physicochemical properties. Compared with sulfides and selenides, the studies related to the interface engineering of the transition metal tellurides for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remain scarce, regardless of their higher electrical conductivity and mass transport rate. Herein, a class of NiFe LDH/NiTe composites was successfully synthesized for enhancing the OER performance by partial chemical etching of nickel foam to prepare NiTe nanoarrays, and subsequently depositing NiFe LDH with a hydrothermal process. Based on experimental and calculated results, the NiFe LDH/NiTe composite is observed with a more intensive interface rather than a simple physical mixture, leading to enhanced charge transfer and improved reaction kinetics resulting from reduced binding strength of intermediates. Therefore, the resultant NiFe LDH/NiTe exhibits outstanding OER activity in alkaline solution with an overpotential of 228 mV at the current density of 50 mA/cm2.