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FeCo2O4 is a potential OER catalyst, but its catalytic activity still needs to be further improved due to its poor electrical conductivity and low material utilization. In this paper, we construct oxygen-vacancy-rich two dimensional FeCo2O4 nanosheet materials using a liquid-phase reduction strategy. Benefiting from its large specific surface area, numerous surface catalytic sites, enhanced electrical conductivity, and modulated electronic structure, the catalyst exhibits an overpotential of only 270 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which is lower than that of the original FeCo2O4 nanosheets (420 mV). At the same time, the catalyst can run steadily for 20 hours without obvious decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of cheap but high activity and strong stability OER electrocatalysts is of great significance to improve electrochemical energy storage and conversion efficiency. A kind of nickel–cobalt alloy nanoparticle coated with a defect-rich carbon layer derived from citric acid was developed as an advanced alkaline OER electrocatalyst by simply annealing the citrate-coordinated nickel–cobalt complex. The formation of the alloy has promoted internal electron transfer, and the catalyst features unique structural advantages. The metal center was confined to the citrate-derived defect-rich carbon layer structure, which reduced the agglomeration of nanoparticles, increased the electrical conductivity, and exposed more active sites. The as-synthesized Ni0.8Co0.2(CA) showed a remarkable catalytic activity (an overpotential of 200 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 87 mV dec−1), which also had good long-term stability. This study will contribute to deeper understanding of ligand selection and the design of high-performance alloy catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]