Micro–nanoarchitectures of electrodeposited Ni–ITO nanocomposites on copper foil as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

The development of electrocatalysts with higher reactivity, enhanced stability and affordability is a challenging task in diverse applications. The efficacy of nickel indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocomposites deposited on Cu foil for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is reported in this study. The surface morphology, chemical composition, preferred orientation and oxidation states were characterized using FESEM, TEM, EDAX, XRD and XPS. The electrocatalytic activity, stability and charge transfer resistance of the Ni and Ni–ITO nanocomposites for OER were investigated using linear sweep voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The higher catalytic activity with lower onset potential, Tafel slope, charge transfer resistance and higher exchange current density of the Ni–ITO nanocomposites have been demonstrated.