Understanding the photothermal contribution to electrocatalysis: A case study of carbon supported NiFe layered double hydroxide

External field assisted water splitting, as a sustainable and highly-efficient route to achieving hydrogen production, has recently attracted a considerable attention in the renewable energy research field. In particular, electrocatalysts with superior light absorption ability is likely to show an excellent electrocatalytic performance under light irradiation. Herein, a composite consisting of NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) and carbon is prepared as an electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Compared to the pristine NiFe LDH,carbon supported NiFe layered double hydroxide (NiFe LDH@C) composite exhibits an enhanced light harvesting under light irradiation, not only increasing the local temperature of electrocatalyst but also lowering the charge transfer resistance during the OER reaction process. Consequently, the photothermal effect enables NiFe LDH@C composite to facilitate the charge transport and accelerate the reaction kinetics, thereby showing an improved OER performance in comparison to neat NiFe LDH. This work offers a new vision toward the rational design of advanced electrocatalyst for solar-assisted water electrolysis application.