Interface engineering of CeO2 nanoparticle/Bi2WO6 nanosheet nanohybrids with oxygen vacancies for oxygen evolution reactions under alkaline conditions

Abstract

Because of the interactive combination synergy effect, hetero interface engineering is used way for advancing electrocatalytic activity and durability. In this study, we demonstrate that a CeO₂/Bi₂WO₆ heterostructure is synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Electrochemical measurement results indicate that CeO₂/Bi₂WO₆ displays not only more OER catalytic active sites with an overpotential of 390 mV and a Tafel slope of 117 mV dec⁻¹ but also durability for 10 h (97.57%). Such outstanding characteristics are primarily attributed to (1) the considerable activities by CeO₂ nanoparticles uniformly distributed on Bi₂WO₆ nanosheets and (2) the plentiful Bi–O–Ce and W–O–Ce species playing the role of strong couples between CeO₂ nanoparticles and Bi₂WO₆ nanosheets and oxygen vacancy existence in CeO₂ nanoparticles, which can improve the electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) and activity, and enhance the conductivity for OERs. This CeO₂/Bi₂WO₆ consists of the heterojunction engineering that can open a modern method of thinking for high effective OER electrocatalysts.