Atomically thin boron nitride nanosheets assembled on three dimensional NiFe-layered double hydroxide for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract

Atomically-thin hexagonal boron nitride (BN) crystals as efficient co-catalysts can enhance both the activity and stability of electrochemical oxygen evolution reactions. However, their practical use has been limited by the existing assembly methods incompatible with complex three-dimensional electrocatalysts. In this work, we develop an electrophoretic deposition strategy to firmly attach liquid-exfoliated BN nanosheets onto nanostructured NiFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) electrodes. The resulting catalyst achieves a current density of 1000 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of 318 mV and maintains stability for over 240 hours. In-situ Raman spectrum reveals that the heterointerface enhances the adsorption of OH* species, while BN coverage suppresses NiFe-LDH detachment under harsh electrochemical conditions. This work provides a feasible approach for integrating BN nanosheets into electrocatalytic systems, extendable to other low-dimensional materials.