Engineering defect-rich Fe-doped NiO coupled Ni cluster nanotube arrays with excellent oxygen evolution activity

Herein we present a novel multi-level structure of Fe-doped NiO coupled Ni cluster hollow nanotube arrays (FeNiO-Ni CHNAs) grown on carbon fiber cloth as an efficient catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction. In this multilevel structure, rocksalt-type Fe-doped NiO phase hybrids with Ni clusters coupled into the nanospheres anchored to the outside of nanotube, forming a unique 3D corn-like structure. This novel multi-level structure represents a large specific area for catalytic reaction. X-ray absorption fine structure indicates that the defect-rich Fe-doped NiO phase has abundant coordinative unsaturated sites as active sites, and Fe doping downshifts the d band of metal sites, which is the main contribution to the improved oxygen evolution reaction catalytic activity. The OER of Fe-NiO-Ni CHNAs obeys the adsorbate evolution mechanism with the nonconcerted proton-electron transfer pathway as a rate-determining step. Thus Fe-doped NiO CHNAs exhibits excellent OER performance and outstanding durability that surpasses most of transition metal oxides.

Automated summary

The Fe-doped NiO CHNAs exhibit excellent catalytic performance and outstanding durability in the oxygen evolution reaction due to their large specific area for catalytic reaction and the downshift of the d band of metal sites caused by Fe doping, as confirmed by X-ray absorption fine structure. The OER of Fe-NiO-Ni CHNAs follows the adsorbate evolution mechanism with a nonconcerted proton-electron transfer pathway as a rate-determining step.