The effect of Fe(III) cations in electrolyte on oxygen evolution catalytic activity of Ni(OH)2 electrode

A facile and efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic system was constructed based on interconnected Ni(OH) 2 nanosheets arrays electrode and Fe(III) containing alkali electrolyte. The partial deposition of Fe(III) onto Ni(OH) 2 with heterostructure obviously enhanced the OER current density and reduced the overpotential, and the Fe(III) cations in electrolyte also furnished positive contribution to the catalytic reaction, the synergy between Ni(OH) 2 electrode and Fe(III) cations in electrolyte therefore substantially improved the OER catalytic efficiency with low overpotential (285 mV at current density of 50 mA cm −2 ) and obviously enhanced current density (391 mA cm −2 at 1.8 V). The current work expands our understanding on the effect of Fe(III) cations in electrolyte to OER efficiency of Ni based catalyst, and opens up a cost-effective and practical avenue to enhance the OER catalytic efficiency by introducing metal cations in alkali electrolyte.