Boosting the oxygen evolution reaction performance through defect and lattice distortion engineering

Abstract

Developing efficient, stable, and inexpensive electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is significant for the development and utilization of clean energy. Defects in electrocatalysts strongly impact their chemical properties and can dramatically enhance the electrocatalytic performance. However, the rational tuning of defects and lattice distortions in electrocatalysts for efficient and stable electrolytic activity in alkaline media remains a challenge. Here, we highlighted defect- and lattice distortion-enriched 3D hierarchical Co₉S₈/Ni₃S₂ nanowire arrays supported on Ni foam to expose a greater number of active sites for an efficient OER. The obtained Ni foam supported Co₉S₈/Ni₃S₂ nanowire arrays exhibit an overpotential of 223 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and a Tafel slope of 79 mV dec⁻¹, which is comparable to and even better than the performance of the best OER electrocatalyst under alkaline conditions. This work also offers an approach for designing other advanced OER electrocatalysts for sustainable energy technology and devices.