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Ir single atoms modified Ni(OH)2 nanosheets on hierarchical porous nickel foam for efficient oxygen evolution

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Abstract

Developing highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts for electrolytic water splitting is urgently desirable but remains a challenge due to sluggish kinetic process of water oxidation. Herein, we report a one-step electrodeposition strategy to prepare Ni(OH)2 modified with Ir single-atom catalysts (SACs) (Ir SACs/Ni(OH)2) on an electrically conductive substrate of three dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous nickel foam (HP-NF) as efficient OER electrocatalyst. The HP-NF with abundant open pores can not only enable the full exposure of catalytically active sites but also facilitate the diffusion of electrolyte and release of gaseous oxygen produced. The optimal Ir SACs/Ni(OH)2@HP-NF exhibits a remarkable catalytic performance and outstanding stability for the OER activity in 1.0 M KOH alkaline media, delivering a low overpotential of ∼ 223 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 and a low Tafel plot of 58 mV·dec−1. Various characterizations together with control electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the superior activity and robust stability of Ir SACs/Ni(OH)2@HP-NF for OER are originated from the highly distributed and exposed Ir SACs and 3D interconnected pores of HP-NF with high electric conductivity.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2021YFA1500800), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51825204, 52072377, and 521888101), the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. 2020192), the International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. 174321KYSB20200005), and the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (No. 2021-MS-014) for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Chunxu Jia, Hao Qin, Chao Zhen, Huaze Zhu, Yongqiang Yang, Ali Han, Gang Liu & Hui-Ming Cheng

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Chunxu Jia, Hao Qin, Huaze Zhu & Gang Liu

  3. Nanomaterials Centre, School of Chemical Engineering and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Lianzhou Wang

  4. Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering/Institute of Technology for Carbon Neutrality, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Hui-Ming Cheng

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  1. Chunxu Jia
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  2. Hao Qin
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  3. Chao Zhen
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  8. Gang Liu
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Correspondence to Chao Zhen or Gang Liu.

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Jia, C., Qin, H., Zhen, C. et al. Ir single atoms modified Ni(OH)2 nanosheets on hierarchical porous nickel foam for efficient oxygen evolution. Nano Res. 15, 10014–10020 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4501-5

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