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Highly Active Three‐Dimensional NiFe/Cu 2 O Nanowires/Cu Foam Electrode for Water Oxidation
Author(s) -
Chen Hu,
Gao Yan,
Sun Licheng
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201601884
Subject(s) - overpotential , tafel equation , oxygen evolution , electrode , water splitting , materials science , anode , nanowire , electrochemistry , current density , chemical engineering , electrocatalyst , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , catalysis , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , photocatalysis , quantum mechanics , engineering
Water splitting is of paramount importance for exploiting renewable energy‐conversion and ‐storage systems, but is greatly hindered by the kinetically sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, a three‐dimensional, highly efficient, and durable NiFe/Cu 2 O nanowires/Cu foam anode (NiFe/Cu 2 O NWs/CF) for water oxidation in 1.0 m KOH was developed. The obtained electrode exhibited a current density of 10 mA cm −2 at a uniquely low overpotential of η =215 mV. The average specific current density ( j s ) was estimated, on the basis of the electrocatalytically active surface area, to be 0.163 mA cm −2 at η =310 mV. The electrode also displayed a low Tafel slope of 42 mV decade −1 . Moreover, the NiFe/Cu 2 O NWs/CF electrode could maintain a steady current density of 100 mA cm −2 for 50 h at an overpotential of η =260 mV. The outstanding electrochemical performance of the electrode for the OER was attributed to the high conductivity of the Cu foam and the specific structure of the electrode with a large interfacial area.