Bimetallic (FexNi1-x)2P nanoarrays as exceptionally efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution in alkaline and neutral media

A specific investigation has been carried out of the electronic structures, Ni oxidation properties, and electrochemical activities of (FexNi1-x)(2)P for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline and neutral media, respectively. The optimized hierarchical Fe-Ni phosphide electrode shows exceptional OER performances under both alkaline and neutral conditions, even much superior to RuO2 catalyst. It only needs extremely low overpotentials of 156 mV and 255 mV to catalyze 10 and 500 mA/cm(2) OER current densities in 1 M KOH. Furthermore, a current density of 10 mA/cm(2) was achieved at a small overpotential of 396 mV in 0.1 M phosphate buffer.