Cu2S/Ni3S2 ultrathin nanosheets on Ni foam as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

Tang, M., Liu, Y., Cao, H., Zheng, Q., Wei, X., Lam, K. H. and Lin, D. (2022) Cu2S/Ni3S2 ultrathin nanosheets on Ni foam as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 47(5), pp. 3013-3021. (doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.10.244)

Abstract

It is an inevitable choice to find efficient and economically-friendly electrocatalysts to reduce the high overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is the key to improve the energy conversion efficiency of water splitting. Herein, we synthesized Cu2S/Ni3S2 catalysts on nickel foam (NF) with different molar ratios of Ni/Cu by a simple two-step hydrothermal method. Cu2S/Ni3S2-0.5@NF (CS/NS-0.5@NF) effectively reduces the overpotential of OER, displaying small overpotentials (237 mV@100 mA cm−2 and 280 mV@500 mA cm−2) in an alkaline solution, along with a low Tafel slope of 44 mV dec−1. CS/NS-0.5@NF also presents an excellent durability at a relatively high current density of 100 mA cm−2 for 100 h. The excellent performance is benefited by the prominent structural advantages and desirable compositions. The nanosheet has a high electrochemical active surface area and the porous structure is conducive to electrolyte penetration and product release. This work provides an economically-friendly Cu-based sulfide catalyst for effective electrosynthesis of OER.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Lam, Dr Koko
• Authors: Tang, M., Liu, Y., Cao, H., Zheng, Q., Wei, X., Lam, K. H., and Lin, D.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0360-3199
• ISSN (Online): 1879-3487
• Published Online: 22 November 2021