Au/NiCo2O4 Arrays with High Activity for Water Oxidation

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical step in water splitting to produce hydrogen. In this report, Au/NiCo2O4 nanorod arrays with high activity for OER have been fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method followed by a reduction process. The Au/NiCo2O4 nanoarrays exhibited OER activity that was almost four times higher than that of Ir/C (at 1.75V vs. RHE), and a small Tafel slope (63mVdecade(-1)). Moreover, this Au/NiCo2O4 hybrid-array electrode showed good stability in alkaline solution, which is required of an active anode for water electrolysis.