Facile synthesis of MoxC-FeNi@NC with an OER activity superior to RuO2 and IrO2/C

The design of efficient, non-precious metal electrocatalysts is still the hot topic for water oxidation. However, the reported transition metal-based electrocatalysts usually exhibit far lower activity, compared with precious metals. In this work, we report the excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of MoxC-FeNi@ NC (NC, nitrogen-doped carbon) by a simple pyrolytic method. To reach the current density of 10 mA cm(-2), MoxC-FeNi@NC only needs a low overpotential of 306 mV. Surprisingly, the MoxC-FeNi@NC even showed lower overpotential than those of noble metal oxides, e.g. RuO2 (similar to 320 mV), IrO2/C (360 mV). The excellent OER activity is mainly ascribed to the unique FeNi electron configuration, efficient electron transfer and higher surface area. Compared with FeCo and CoNi, FeNi alloy possesses half-filling *pi 3d electron configuration, leading to suitable adsorption for OH-; and MoxC has effectively improved electrical conductance of MoxC-FeNi@NC, thus greatly improving the OER reaction kinetics. This work provides an earth-abundant, efficient electrocatalyst for water oxidation.