Template-free synthesis of biomass-derived hierarchically mesoporous carbon with ultra-small FeNi nanoparticles for oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Highly active and stable catalysts towards electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction are crucial for efficient water splitting and sustainable hydrogen generation. Here we report a carbon supported FeNi catalyst synthesized from an in situ freeze-drying method (fd-FeNi/C) with a commonly seen biomass, jasminum mesnyi flower. The fd-FeNi/C exhibits a N-doped hierarchically mesoporous carbon structure decorated with small FeNi nanoparticles with a small diameter of ∼ 4 nm. Electrochemical measurements show excellent catalytic performance in 1 M KOH solution with an overpotential of 301 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2. The value is 41 mV lower than that of the commercial IrO2/C. A small Tafel slope (64.5 mV dec−1) and high stability are also recorded. This work provides a facile, scalable, and template-free approach to convert biomass into highly active electrochemical catalysts, which shows great potential for future applications.