Nickel‐Borate/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanohybrid: A Robust and Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline and Near Neutral Media

Abstract

AbstractDesigning highly active electrocatalysts with cost‐effective transition metals for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of vital significance for multifarious energy conversion and storage devices. Herein, a facile in situ co‐reduction method was applied for the preparation of nickel‐borate nanoparticle on reduced graphene oxide (Ni−Bi/RGO) with high surface active sites exposure yield and reinforced electron transfer ability. Such Ni−Bi/RGO nanohybrid shows high catalytic activity with overpotential of 329 mV to drive a geometrical current density of 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slop of 79 mV dec−1 in 1 m KOH. Moreover, this Ni−Bi/RGO nanohybrid also displays excellent performance under near neutral condition, with a low onset potential of 352 mV and Tafel slop of 176 mV dec−1 in 0.1 m potassium borate (KBi, pH 9.2), better than most of Ni‐based OER catalysts. Our research has paved a facile path for the development of highly active electrocatalysts.