Electronic and structural engineering of NiCo2O4/Ti electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen evolution reaction.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) involves four electron transfer processes and is of great significance in water electrolysis. The development of efficient and robust non-precious OER electrocatalysts remains a critical challenge for the production, storage and conversion of renewable energy. Herein, vertically NiCo 2 O 4 nanosheets are grown on Ti mesh via a facile solvothermal method which is followed by low-temperature calcination. The NiCo 2 O 4 /Ti catalyst exhibits outstanding OER performance with a low overpotential of 353 mV to drive the current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 61 mV dec−1 in alkaline solution. Moreover, the stable electrocatalyst undergoes negligible degradation in alkaline media at least 20 h. The acceleration of the electrochemical OER likely stems from the facile electron transfer promoted by the NiCo 2 O 4 /Ti interface as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This work introduces a novel strategy for the establishment low-cost electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting. Electronic and Structural Engineering: The optimal NiCo 2 O 4 /Ti heterostructured catalyst demonstrates remarkable OER performance and long-term durability. This research provides a useful strategy of electronic and structural engineering to develop highly efficient non-noble-based electrocatalysts for water spitting and other energy conversion processes.. Image 1 • The NiCo 2 O 4 /Ti heterostructure demonstrates remarkable OER performance. • The NiCo 2 O 4 /Ti delivers the 10 mA cm-2 at overpotential as low as 353 mV. • The research provides an useful electronic and structural engineering for OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]