Trifle Pt coupled with NiFe hydroxide synthesized via corrosion engineering to boost the cleavage of water molecule for alkaline water-splitting

Developing cost-effective and highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with small overpotentials and superior long-term stabilities is imperative for catalyzing water electrolysis. Herein, corrosion engineering is applied to synthesize NiFe-LDH incorporating noble metals on a 3D porous Ni foam at room temperature to afford the NF-Na-Fe-Pt electrocatalyst. The optimized balance adsorption of hydroxyl ions and atomic hydrogen that are manifested by the synergism between NiFe-LDH and trifle noble metals endow the nanomaterial with an excellent electrocatalytic performance and long-term durability for mediating the water-splitting process in 1 M KOH. Only 31 and 261 mV are required to drive 10 mA cm-2 of the prepared NF-Na-Fe-Pt electrocatalyst for HER and OER, respectively. DFT calculations demonstrate that Pt and NiFe-LDH synergistically accelerate the Volmer reaction and adsorption/desorption of atomic H to enhance alkaline HER. Moreover, the NF-Na-Fe-Pt electrocatalyst also exhibit remarkable catalytic activity for water splitting.

Automated summary

Efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts are crucial for catalyzing water electrolysis, and the NiFe-LDH-based NF-Na-Fe-Pt electrocatalyst demonstrated excellent performance and long-term durability in mediating the water-splitting process. Synergistic effects between NiFe-LDH and noble metals were found to enhance the catalytic activity for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions.