Synthesis and Wide-pH/Seawater Oxygen Evolution Performance of B-NiFeP/NF at Large Current Densities

Abstract

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a half-reaction of water splitting, and its high energy barrier and sluggish kinetics represent the critical factors restricting the enhancement of electrolytic hydrogen production efficiency. In this work, B-NiFeP/NF was successfully synthesized. Firstly, NiFeP/NF was grown on nickel foam (NF) by hydrothermal and calcination methods, then B doping was carried out, and the successful doping of B was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and mapping. Electrochemical performance tests demonstrate that B-NiFeP/NF displays good OER performance in neutral, alkaline, and alkaline seawater. In 1 M PBS, B-NiFeP/NF delivers 1.717 V at 20 mA cm−2. At 500 mA cm−2, B-NiFeP/NF can achieve 1.489 V (Tafel slope: 30.49 mV dec−1) in 1 M KOH and 1.501 V (Tafel slope: 38.21 mV dec−1) in alkaline seawater. Meanwhile, B-NiFeP/NF shows good stability. The XPS, XRD, and Raman results confirm the presence of high-valence metal species NiOOH and FeOOH in B-NiFeP/NF. This work proposes a rational design strategy for high-efficiency OER electrocatalysts and provides solid experimental validation for the large-scale hydrogen production application of seawater electrolysis in the future.