Ni nanotube array-based electrodes by electrochemical alloying and de-alloying for efficient water splitting

作者：Teng, Xue; Wang, Jianying; Ji, Lvlv; Lv, Yaokang; Chen, Zuofeng^*

来源：Nanoscale, 2018, 10(19): 9276-9285.

DOI：10.1039/c8nr02238k

• LAYERED DOUBLE HYDROXIDE
• ONE-STEP SYNTHESIS
• HYDROGEN EVOLUTION
• OXYGEN EVOLUTION
• HIGHLY EFFICIENT
• ASSISTED SYNTHESIS
• NICKEL FOAM
• ELECTROCATALYSTS
• COBALT
• FILM

The design of cost-efficient earth-abundant catalysts with superior performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is extremely important for future renewable energy production. Herein, we report a facile strategy for constructing Ni nanotube arrays (NTAs) on a Ni foam (NF) substrate through cathodic deposition of NiCu alloy followed by anodic stripping of metallic Cu. Based on Ni NTAs, the as-prepared NiSe2 NTA electrode by NiSe2 electrodeposition and the NiFeOx NTA electrode by dipping in Fe3+ solution exhibit excellent HER and OER performance in alkaline conditions. In these systems, Ni NTAs act as a binder-free multifunctional inner layer to support the electrocatalysts, offer a large specific surface area and serve as a fast electron transport pathway. Moreover, an alkaline electrolyzer has been constructed using NiFeOx NTAs as the anode and NiSe2 NTAs as the cathode, which only demands a cell voltage of 1.78 V to deliver a water-splitting current density of 500 mA cm(-2), and demonstrates remarkable stability during long-term electrolysis. This work provides an attractive method for the design and fabrication of nanotube array-based catalyst electrodes for highly efficient water-splitting.

• 出版日期2018-5-21
• 单位浙江工业大学; 同济大学