Lignin-assisted electronic modulation on NiSe/FeOx heterointerface for boosting electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

The development of productive and durable non-precious metal catalysts for the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical for water splitting. Herein, a novel NiSe-FeO x heterojunction encapsulated in lignin-derived carbon layer (NiSe-FeO x @LC) was synthesized via hydrothermal self-assembly and in-situ pyrolysis . NiSe-FeO x @LC exhibited excellent OER performance with an overpotential of 265 mV at 50 mA·cm −2 , a Tafel slope of 83 mV·dec −1 , as well as long-term stability. Both experimental and DFT calculation results indicated that the doping of FeO x into NiSe@LC successfully optimized the dual interface structure between NiSe and FeO x , thereby promoted the d-bands orbital hybridization, that facilitated electron transfer . Besides, the carbon coating effectively protected the NiSe-FeO x components from leaching and agglomerating during the reaction. This study provides insight into the significance of lignin-derived carbon-encapsulated metallic catalyst for electrocatalytic OER process.