Nickel Oxide Nanosheets Research Articles

Tailoring the Heterointerfaces of Earth-Abundant Transition-Metal Nanoclusters on Nickel Oxide Nanosheets for Enhanced Overall Water Splitting through Electronic Structure Optimization.

Evolving highly competent and economical electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis is crucial in renewable hydrogen energy technologies. The slow hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics under alkaline electrolytes, still, has troubled developments in high-performance green hydrogen production systems. Herein, we demonstrate the tailoring of the interface of earth-abundant transition-metal nanoclusters (MNCs), including iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) nanoclusters on nickel oxide nanosheets (M NCs|NiO NS) through metal-support interaction for enriched overall water splitting under an alkaline electrolyte. The strong metal-metal oxide interaction allows alteration of the binding capabilities of hydrogen ions (*H) and hydroxyl ions (*OH) on Ni electrodes. Specifically, the robust interaction between Fe and NiO reveals optimized binding of H* and OH* energies, facilitating the water-splitting reaction under an alkaline electrolyte. In addition, the improved HER/OER catalytic activity is attained with the Fe NCs|NiO NS with small overpotentials of ∼62.0 and ∼380.0 mV for the HER and OER, respectively, a high mass activity of ∼90.0 A g-1, a turnover frequency of ∼5.94 s-1, and long-lasting stability via offering abundant electrochemical active sites, three-dimensional (3D) morphologies, and high dispersion of nanoclusters that provide effective charge and mass transport processes. This study provides a promising strategy for the effective design of efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant materials for alkaline water electrolyzers.

Boosting the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells by employing Li-substituted NiO nanosheets as highly efficient electrocatalysts for reduction of triiodide

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) exhibit considerable potential as a promising technology, particularly when addressing the challenge of replacing the costly Platinum (Pt) counter electrode (CE) with economically viable and chemically stable CE materials. This study examines the use of two-dimensional hexagonal-shaped nickel oxide nanosheets substituted with varying mol% of lithium (1, 3, and 5 %) (Li (1–5%)-NiO NSs) as the counter electrodes (CEs) for DSSCs. The facile hydrothermal method was employed for the preparation of NiO and Li (1–5 mol%)-NiO samples. The BET analysis of NiO and Li (1–5%)-NiO indicates that higher concentrations of Li1+ ions in Ni2+ ions sites lead to an increase in the overall surface area of NiO. This leads to an elevated number of exposed electrocatalytic active sites which resulted in enhancing the rate of reduction of I3− ions. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) result of 5 mol% of Li substituted NiO (5-LNO) shows outstanding electrocatalytic activity towards the redox reaction of I3−/I− redox mediator among the as-prepared CEs. The DSSCs assembled with 5-LNO CE show an excellent power conversion efficiency (η) of 5.84 % with short-circuit current (Jsc) of 18.76 mAcm−2, and open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.80 V which is higher than Pt-based CE (η of 4.05 % with Jsc of 10.16 mAcm−2, and Voc of 0.69 V). The DSSCs fabricated with 5-LNO CE exhibit excellent photovoltaic performance because of their high active surface area and enhanced electrical conductivity. The 5-LNO CE has low cost, significant electrocatalytic activity, less toxicity, and superior device efficiency than NiO, other Li (1–3%)-NiO, and Pt CEs, making it a suitable candidate for Pt-free DSSCs application.

Ultralong lifespan and high energy density soft-pack asymmetric supercapacitors based on electrochemically activated porous nickel oxide nanosheet array

Nickel oxide (NiO) with high theoretical capacity is considered a promising energy storage material, however, its actual capacitance and stability are unsatisfactory. In this work, a facile electrochemical activation is proposed to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of porous NiO nanosheet arrays on carbon cloth (CC) in-situ prepared by facile hydrothermal method and subsequent high-temperature calcination. Experimental characterization and density functional theory calculations have shown that this electrochemical activation process can introduce more oxygen vacancies and defects, reduce the crystallinity and nickel valence state of NiO, increase the structural looseness of the nanosheet array and electrical conductivity as well as adsorption energy for hydroxide. By utilizing these structural regulations, the specific capacitance of electrochemically activated NiO/CC is significantly enhanced from 308 to 914 F g−1. The soft-pack asymmetric supercapacitor offers a high energy density of 38.5 Wh kg−1 and exhibit an ultralong lifespan of up to 20,000 cycles with 96.2% capacitance retention. Such a soft-pack asymmetric supercapacitor illuminates different electronic devices, demonstrating enormous potential in practical applications.

Preparation and electrochemical properties of carboxylated graphene-supported NiO nanosheets for supercapacitors

Nickel oxide (NiO) with the advantages of inexpensive, non-toxic, environmentally friendly and high theoretical specific capacitance, is a potential electrode material for supercapacitors. In this work, the synthesized NiO exhibited a stacked state of nanosheets with wavy patterns and a high specific surface area. Additionally, the carboxylated graphene/nickel oxide (CG/NiO) composite electrodes were prepared through the electrostatic self-assembly technique. The CG/NiO composite electrode was systematically characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. More excitingly, the BET surface area of the CG/NiO composite electrode is 138.14 m2/g, which is three times higher than that of the pure NiO. The high surface area and unique mesoporous structure of composite electrodes facilitated rapid ion transport and sufficient redox reactions. As a result, the CG/NiO composite electrode displayed a high specific capacity of 175.5 C g−1 at 1 A/g and satisfying cycling stability (55.4 % retention after 5000 cycles at 5 A/g).

Realizing high-performance glucose sensing in sweat: Synergistic use of nickel oxide nanosheets as photoelectrodes and the masking effect of Mo-POM for photoelectrochemical detection

The detection of blood glucose plays a crucial role in clinical practice, and the innovative use of sweat as a substitute for blood has brought significant practical value in the detection of blood glucose. However, lactic acid (LA) has been found to be the main interfering substance on the detection of glucose in sweat. In this study, a photoelectrochemical sensing system was constructed by using NiO nanosheets as photosensitive materials and molybdenum-based polyoxometalate clusters (Mo-POM) as masking agents. Mo-POM, an ideal electron-capturing agent, effectively promoted the spatial separation of photo-generated charge carriers in NiO nanosheets, thereby enhancing the oxidation rate of glucose on the valence band of NiO and significantly improving the detection sensitivity. Mo-POM also exhibited the characteristics of an electron sponge, facilitating fast and reversible multi-electron transfer reactions and effectively masking certain redox substances, especially lactic acid, thus greatly enhancing the selectivity of the glucose sensor. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor constructed using Mo-POM has excellent sensing capability with high sensitivity to detect glucose at a minimum concentration of 1 nM. The detection limit of the sensor is 0.33 nM (S/N = 3). This sensor can be reliably applied to the detection of glucose in sweat and the accuracy of the results was verified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Electrochemical Detection of Metol through the Cobalt Nickel Oxide Nanosheets Incorporated with MCM-41 Nanospheres Composites Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

In this study, contaminations of metol (or Elon) in environmental water and industrial wastewater are the major causes of toxicity, which is very harmful to human health and other living things. Hence the determination of metol in high demand is more important. Further, the Mobil Composition of Matter (MCM-41) mesoporous silica nanoparticles incorporated with cobalt nickel oxide (CoNiO2) complex to form MCM-41/CoNiO2 composite modifying the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) used for metol detection. The MCM-41/CoNiO2 composite coated on the GCE surface exhibited fast electron transfer kinetics, improved conductivity, a large surface area, active stability, and improved catalytic efficiency. The structural morphology of the MCM-41/CoNiO2 composite was investigated using several spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Here, the MCM-41/CoNiO2 composite was verified using different characterization studies such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis, X-ray Diffraction Analysis, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Additionally, the electrochemical investigations have included Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Cyclic Voltammetry, and Differential Pulse Voltammetry studies. The GCE/MCM-41/CoNiO2 electrode shows a low detection limit of 10 nM and the LOQ value is 0.1 μM with a broad linear response range of 0.1–750 μM, and greater sensitivity of 0.411 μA μM−1 cm−2 under optimal voltammetry.

Engineering the active sites by tuning the Ni and Mn composition in hierarchical heterostructured composites for electrocatalytic water splitting

Hydrogen production via electrochemical water splitting is a potentially clean and sustainable energy technology. Composition tuned binary NiMn oxides of Ni0.75Mn0.25O and Ni0.8Mn0.2O as an anode and cathode, respectively, demonstrate an excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic performance with a long term stability of 77 hours at a higher current density of 200 mA cm−2 toward overall water splitting (OWS) in an alkaline 1M KOH electrolyte solution. An anion exchange membrane H-type electrolytic cell requires a cell voltage of 1.74 V in order to generate a current density of 10 mA cm−2. The manganese oxide-modified nickel oxide nanosheets expedite the O–O bond formation via synergistic interaction between Ni3+ (t2g6eg1) and Jahn–Teller active Mn3+ (t2g3eg1). Moreover, due to their single electron occupancy in the eg orbital, the higher Mn3+ and NiO active sites could readily adsorb OH− ions from the electrolyte and promote a higher oxidation state, thereby accelerating the OER reaction. During OER, the energy and occupancy of these antibonding orbitals result in strong σ-bonds between these orbitals and oxygen-related adsorbate. Furthermore, the highest concentration of Ni(OH)2 attracts H+ ions, promoting the formation of H2.

Amorphous strategy to nickel oxide nanosheets for highly active and selective hydrogenation reaction

Amorphous strategy to nickel oxide nanosheets for highly active and selective hydrogenation reaction

Surfactant regulated Core-Double-Shell NF@NiO nanosheets matrix as integrated anodes for Lithium-Ion batteries

The direct oxidation of three-dimensional nickel foam (3D NF) to nickel oxide (NiO) as integrated anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has attracted significant attention towards achieving high-areal-capacity and high-energy density LIBs. However, the rate capability of such monolithic NiO in LIBs usually falls off rapidly due to the poor electrical conductivity that hindered its ionic transport kinetics. Herein, to ease the ionic transport constrains, a surfactant-regulated strategy is developed for preparing in-situ core-double-shell architecture that consists of core nickel skeleton, dense nickel oxide shell and porous nickel oxide nanosheets (NS) shell as anode materials for LIBs. Among the three employed surfactants including cationic surfactant, anionic surfactant and nonionic surfactant, the anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) modulated anode denoted SDS-NF@NiONS exhibits ultrahigh reversible areal capacity of 8.64 mAh cm−2@ 0.4 mA cm−2, and excellent rate areal capacity of 5.20 mAh cm−2 @ 3.0 mA cm−2, which did not only show the best ever reported NiO-based high-areal-capacity based electrodes, but also demonstrate impressive performance in practical full cell LIBs. In addition, in-situ Raman and kinetic analyses confirm the mechanism of Li-ion storage and facile ionic transport kinetics in this proposed design.

Silicon/nickel oxide core/shell nanospheres as a hole transport layer for high efficiency and light-stable perovskite solar cells.

Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) possess huge potential due to their high power conversion efficiency. However, instability is still a key factor limiting their applications. Therefore, we have found a feasible strategy to improve the light stability of PSCs. Specifically, a core-shell material with a silicon nanosphere core and a nickel oxide nanosheet shell serves as the hole transport layer in our PSCs. Due to the selective absorption of ultraviolet light by the silicon nanoparticles, the ultraviolet light content of the natural light that reaches the perovskite layer is reduced. Compared with a control device (without Si), the PSCs with the silicon/nickel oxide hole transport layer possessed a higher current density of 22.09 mA cm-2 and a higher power conversion efficiency of 18.54%, with both values increased by 2.7% and 6.1%, respectively. More importantly, the PSCs based on a silicon/nickel oxide hole transport layer maintains 85% of its initial power conversion efficiency value after 700 hours of natural light exposure. These results indicate that the silicon/nickel oxide hole transport layer is an important functional component of the PSCs, which improves the photovoltaic performance and reduces ultraviolet light-induced photodegradation, thereby improving the device stability.

Synthesis of ((CeO2)0.8(Sm2O3)0.2)@NiO Core-Shell Type Nanostructures and Microextrusion Printing of a Composite Anode Based on Them.

The process of the hydrothermal synthesis of hierarchically organized nanomaterials with the core-shell structure with the composition ((CeO2)0.8(Sm2O3)0.2)@NiO was studied, and the prospects for their application in the formation of planar composite structures using microextrusion printing were shown. The hydrothermal synthesis conditions of the (CeO2)0.8(Sm2O3)0.2 nanospheres were determined, and the approach to their surface modification by growing the NiO shell with the formation of core-shell structures equally distributed between the larger nickel(II) oxide nanosheets was developed. The resulting nanopowder was used as a functional ink component in the microextrusion printing of the corresponding composite coating. The microstructure of the powders and the oxide coating was studied by scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the crystal structure was explored by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), the set of functional groups in the powders was studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy, and their thermal behavior in an air flow by synchronous thermal analysis (TGA/DSC). The electronic state of the chemical elements in the resulting coating was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface topography and local electrophysical properties of the composite coating were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Using impedance spectroscopy, the temperature dependence of the specific electrical conductivity of the obtained composite coating was estimated.

Ni2P Nanoparticle-Inserted Porous Layered NiO Hetero-Structured Nanosheets as a Durable Catalyst for the Electro-Oxidation of Urea.

The electro-oxidation of urea (EOU) is a remarkable but challenging sustainable technology, which largely needs a reduced electro-chemical potential, that demonstrates the ability to remove a notable harmful material from wastewater and/or transform the excretory product of humans into treasure. In this work, an Ni2P-nanoparticle-integrated porous nickel oxide (NiO) hetero-structured nanosheet (Ni2P@NiO/NiF) catalyst was synthesized through in situ acid etching and a gas-phase phosphating process. The as-synthesized Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst sample was then used to enhance the electro-oxidation reaction of urea with a higher urea oxidation response (50 mA cm−2 at 1.31 V vs. RHE) and low onset oxidation potential (1.31 V). The enhanced activity of the Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst was mainly attributed to effective electron transport after Ni2P nanoparticle insertion through a substantial improvement in active sites due to a larger electrochemical surface area, and a faster diffusion of ions occurred via the interactive sites at the interface of Ni2P and NiO; thus, the structural reliability was retained, which was further evidenced by the low charge transfer resistance. Further, the Ni2P nanoparticle insertion process into the NiO hetero-structured nanosheets effectively enabled a synergetic effect when compared to the counter of the Ni2P/NiF and NiO/NiF catalysts. Finally, we demonstrate that the as-synthesized Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst could be a promising electrode for the EOU in urea-rich wastewater and human urine samples for environmental safety management. Overall, the Ni2P@NiO/NiF catalyst electrode combines the advantages of the Ni2P catalyst, NiO nanosheet network, and NiF current collector for enhanced EOU performance, which is highly valuable in catalyst development for environmental safety applications.

Simple Controllable Fabrication of Novel Flower‐Like Hierarchical Porous NiO: Formation Mechanism, Shape Evolution and Their Application into Asymmetric Supercapacitors

AbstractThe rational tailoring of micro‐ and mesoporous distribution for porous transition metal oxide‐based nanomaterials is an important factor to control their electrochemistry performances. Herein, flower‐like hierarchical microspheres assembled by ultrathin nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheets were synthesized by a facile solvothermal route and subsequent annealing process. Theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate that NiO ultrathin nanosheets prepared by calcination at 450 °C (N‐450) have the optimal micro‐ and mesoporous distribution. The optimal microstructure provides plenty of ion transport channels and abundant active sites. As expected, the N‐450 electrode delivers an ultrahigh specific capacity of 546.53 F g−1at a current density of 2 A g−1, which is greater than other electrodes. Remarkably, the assembled N‐450//AC asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) achieves a high energy density of 29.7 Wh kg−1(at a power density of 800 W kg−1) and exhibits an excellent cycling stability. This work demonstrates an available avenue to enhance the performance of supercapacitor by accurately controlling calcination temperature to adjust the porous architectures of ultrathin NiO nanosheets.

Synergy of heterojunction and interfacial strain for boosting photocatalytic H2 evolution of black phosphorus nanosheets

As an emerging post-graphene two-dimensional material, black phosphorus (BP) has attracted enormous interest as a promising cocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) evolution, however, the activity of either pristine bulk or BP nanosheets is far from satisfactory. Herein, we present an effective strategy to greatly boost the H2 evolution performance of BP via applying the synergistic effect of heterojunction and interfacial lattice strain. A multilayered heterostructure coupling BP nanosheets and nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheets with abundant interface P-Ni and PO bonds is synthesized and utilized as a proof-of-concept material for our design. Both the experimental and theoretical results have revealed that the strain is formed in BP-NiO multilayered heterostructure. The generated lattice strain induces the charge redistribution at the interface between BP and NiO, which leads to the improved electron transfer efficiency and favorable H* adsorption kinetics for photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction. As a result, the BP-NiO heterostructure with strain effect exhibits much enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution activity in the presence of Eosin Y (EY) as photosensitizer, exceeding that of zero-strained BP/NiO heterostructure and many other reported noble-metal-free cocatalyst.

3D carbon networks/NiO nanosheets thick electrodes for high areal capacity lithium ion batteries

Herein, nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheets coated with carbon were successfully synthesized on three dimensional all-carbon-frameworks through hydrothermal and annealing process. The as-prepared GPG/NiO/C achieved a high areal capacity of 24.55 mAh cm−2 @ 2.0 mA cm−2 as anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In situ Raman analysis was employed to study the lithium storage mechanism of the GPG/NiO/C electrode. This work opens more opportunity for achieving high areal capacity electrode for energy storage devices.

Electrocatalytic ammonia synthesis catalyzed by mesoporous nickel oxide nanosheets loaded with Pt nanoparticles

Owing to its cost-effectiveness and adjustable eight-electron distribution in the 3d orbital, nickel oxide (NiO) is considered an effective electrocatalyst for an ambient electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). However, because of the low conductivity of the transition metal oxide electrocatalyst, its application in this field is limited. In this study, we found that the doping of NiO nanosheets with a small amount (3–10 nm) of Pt nanoparticles (Pt/NiO-NSs) leads to considerable improvements in the Faradaic efficiency (FE) and NH3 yield compared with those obtained using pure NiO, breaking the common perception that commercial Pt-based electrocatalysts demonstrate little potential for NRR due to their high hydrogen evolution tendency. In a 0.1 mol/L Na2SO4 solution at −0.2 V vs. RHE, a typical Pt/NiO-2 sample exhibits an optimum electrochemical NH3 yield of 20.59 μg h–1 mg–1cat. and an FE of 15.56%, which are approximately 5 and 3 times greater, respectively, than those of pure NiO nanosheets at the same applied potential. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that Pt in Pt/NiO-NSs exist as Pt0, Pt2+, and Pt4+ and that high-valence Pt ions are more electropositive, thereby favoring chemisorption and the activation of N2 molecules. Density function theory calculations showed that the d-band of Pt nanoparticles supported on NiO is significantly tuned compared to that of pure Pt, affording a more favorable electronic structure for NRR. The results of this study show that Pt can be an effective NRR electrochemical catalyst when loaded on an appropriate substrate. Most importantly, it provides a new synthetic avenue for the fabrication of highly active Pt-based NRR electrocatalysts.

Short-range order in amorphous nickel oxide nanosheets enables selective and efficient electrochemical hydrogen peroxide production

Achieving high selectivity and activity with the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is significant for developing efficient energy conversion techniques and chemical production. Here, we report that selective ORRs can be achieved by tuning short-range order in amorphous and crystalline NiO nanosheets (a-NiO NSs and c-NiO NSs, respectively). X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis reveals that the short-range order of a-NiO NSs and c-NiO NSs mainly adopt the NiO5 pyramidal and NiO6 octahedral structures, respectively. The a-NiO NSs for electrochemical H2O2 production in 0.1 M KOH exhibits both high selectivity over 90% and high activity (1 mA cm−2 at 0.66 V versus RHE), while c-NiO NSs tends to catalyze ORRs through 4-electron pathways to generate H2O. Theoretical calculations indicate that the changed short-range order of a-NiO NSs leads to alteration of Ni d-orbital states, which can regulate the adsorption orientation and strength of ∗OOH intermediates to achieve high selectivity and activity of 2-electron ORRs.

Ultrafast flashlight sintered mesoporous NiO nanosheets for stable asymmetric supercapacitors

Ultrafast flashlight sintering (FLS) has become an important green manufacturing technology for the structural reformation of various nanomaterials. Nickel oxide (NiO) has been extensively studied as a promising electrode material for electrochemical energy storage owing to its high theoretical specific capacitance, low cost, and appropriate chemical compatibility. This study reports the fabrication of mesoporous ultrathin NiO nanosheets on carbon cloth (CC) as green electrodes for flexible supercapacitors (SCs) through an exceptional ultrafast millisecond FLS process at room temperature. The optimized FLS-NiO@i12J electrode exhibited a remarkable specific capacity of 202.3 mA h g−1 (1215 F g−1) at a current density of 2 A g−1. Strikingly, the as-fabricated FLS-NiO electrodes outperformed the time and energy-consuming conventional thermally annealed (CTA) NiO electrodes. Furthermore, the flexible FLS-NiO@i12J//rGO asymmetric SCs deliver a remarkable energy density of 47.18 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 758.37 W Kg−1 and extraordinary cycling stability performance after 15,000 cycles. In addition, the FLS-NiO@i12J electrodes offer unique mesoporous structures, high surface areas, and numerous open-pore channels of ultrathin NiO nanosheets that facilitate fast transport of ions and rapid redox reactions. Thus, the present approach is promising for designing advanced electrode materials for flexible energy storage applications.

Design of transition metal oxides nanosheets for the direct electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose

The design of the morphology-controlled synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal oxides nanomaterials is a key for electrochemical oxidation of glucose. Herein, a general preparation method is adopted to develop a variety of transition metal oxides nanosheets, including cobalt oxide nanosheets (Co3O4 NS), nickel oxide nanosheets (NiO NS), copper oxide nanosheets (CuO NS), and iron oxide nanosheets (Fe3O4 NS) through a chemical reduction method followed by a hydrothermal strategy. The surface morphological characterization is performed by using transmission electron microscopic (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM), and atomic force microscopic (AFM) measurements, revealed the two-dimensional nanosheets-like metal oxides formed. The as-developed transition metal oxide nanosheets are employed as electrocatalysts for the improved oxidation of glucose under alkaline electrolyte. The NiO nanosheets delivers best catalytic current density of ~3.1 mA cm−2 which is over- ~1.7- and ~2.6- times higher with a less positive potential, respectively in comparison to Co3O4 nanosheets and CuO nanosheets based electrodes. The morphological engineered two-dimensional nanosheets exhibit high electrochemical active sites, fast electron transfer kinetics, etc. towards the glucose oxidation reaction (GOR).

A photoelectrochemical self-powered sensor for the detection of sarcosine based on NiO NSs/PbS/Au NPs as photocathodic material

In this study, lead(II) sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals were modified on nickel(II)oxide nanosheets (NiO NSs) via the chemical bath method. Afterwards, Au nanoparticles (NPs) were also modified successfully. A photoelectrochemical (PEC) self-powered platform for detecting sarcosine with high PEC activity was constructed. The capacity of NiO NSs to be loaded with other sensitizing materials was mainly attributed to its porous structure and large specific surface area. Under optimum conditions, the constructed PEC self-powered cathodic sensor for detecting sarcosine exhibited a linear range in 5.0 × 10−8–5.0 × 10−2 mol/L with a detection limit (LOD) of 1.7 × 10−8 mol/L. The biosensor demonstrated good reproducibility, acceptable stability and high specificity, thus confirming its potential application in the detection of other similar substances.