CoFe LDH/Mo-Ni3S2 heterogeneous electrocatalyst for alkaline efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Currently, hydrogen production through water electrolysis stands out as one of the most promising methods. However, the efficiency of hydrogen production is limited by the anodic oxygen evolution reaction, which involves a four-electron transfer process. Therefore, the development of an efficient and durable anode catalyst is important to reduce energy consumption and increase the hydrogen production rate. Herein, the Mo-doped Ni3S2 nanopillar structures were successfully synthesized by hydrothermal process on nickel foam (NF). Subsequently, nanosheets of CoFe-layered double hydroxides (LDH) thin films were deposited to obtain the CoFe-LDH/Mo-Ni3S2/NF catalyst. Physical characterization results revealed polycrystalline properties of the CoFe LDH nanosheets, while a non-homogeneous interface was also formed with Mo-doped Ni3S2 nanopillars. The contact angle verified the excellent hydrophilicity, which allowed the rapid release of oxygen bubbles. In terms of electrocatalysis, the catalyst exhibited an overpotential of only 227 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and demonstrated remarkable current density retention after 100 h. The catalyst was also characterized by good retention of the current density at 10 mA/cm2. This work provided the strategy for designing efficient, inexpensive and durable catalysts.