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Facilely Tuning Porous NiCo 2 O 4 Nanosheets with Metal Valence‐State Alteration and Abundant Oxygen Vacancies as Robust Electrocatalysts Towards Water Splitting
Author(s) -
Zhu Chengzhou,
Fu Shaofang,
Du Dan,
Lin Yuehe
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201504739
Subject(s) - oxygen evolution , water splitting , overpotential , materials science , valence (chemistry) , chemical engineering , electrochemistry , metal , catalysis , oxygen , electrolyte , porosity , nanotechnology , electrode , chemistry , metallurgy , biochemistry , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , engineering , composite material
Great efforts in developing clean electrochemical water splitting technology leads to the rational design and synthesis of highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts with low overpotential and fast reaction kinetics. Herein, we focus on the role that morphology and composition play in the OER performance to rationally design freestanding 3D porous NiCo 2 O 4 nanosheets with metal valence states alteration and abundant oxygen vacancies as robust electrocatalysts towards water splitting. Besides metal valence‐state alteration, surface modification regarding the evolution of oxygen vacancies is facilely realized upon the sodium borohydride treatment, which is beneficial for the enhanced OER performance. Taking advantage of the porous nanostructures and abundant surface activity sites with high reactivity, the resultant nanostructures exhibit excellent OER activity and stability in alkaline electrolytes that outperform that of pristine NiCo 2 O 4 and commercial RuO 2 , thus holding great potential for the water splitting.