Metal-organic framework-derived S-NiFe PBA coupled with NiFe layered double hydroxides as Mott-Schottky electrocatalysts for efficient alkaline oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Development of economical and high-efficient catalytic electrodes is a top priority for oxygen evolution reactions (OER). Non-precious metal based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in powder form remain a series of problems including the assistance of adhesive, poor conductivity and stability. Herein, a well-designed S-NiFe PBA@NiFe/NF composite with a unique Mott-Schottky heterojunction architecture was purposefully constructed by self-sacrificing template approach and electrodeposition. The growth of S-NiFe PBA@NiFe on NF through in situ synthesis promotes efficient electron conduction between the NF substrate and S-NiFe PBA@NiFe catalyst, leading to a stable and highly effective working state. The Mott-Schottky heterojunctions between S-NiFe PBA and NiFe-layered double hydroxides (LDH) effectively expedite electronic transmission. Consequently, S-NiFe PBA@NiFe/NF exhibits outstanding OER behavior at 1.0 M KOH, exhibiting a low Tafel slope of 39 mV dec−1 and at 10 mA cm−2, reaching an unexpectedly low overpotential of 196.7 mV. Furthermore, the S-NiFe PBA@NiFe/NF maintains long-term durability without evident performance degradation for 100 h.