Self supported FeS/Fe5Ni4S8 heterostructure catalyst for efficient water splitting

With the development and progress of society, there is an increasing demand for hydrogen energy. Developing efficient, low-cost catalysts for electrolytic hydrogen production is a challenging but significant task. In this work, we successfully achieved the in-situ growth of FeS/Fe 5 Ni 4 S 8 heterostructure catalyst on the surface of iron foam through a one-step solvothermal method. The heterostructure can produce more lattice defects. Additionally, the unique synergistic effect between Ni and Fe, along with rapid electron transfer kinetics at the heterointerface, collectively enhancing the electrocatalytic performance of the FeS/Fe 5 Ni 4 S 8 heterostructure nanomaterials. In 1 M KOH electrolyte, this catalyst achieves low overpotentials of only 181 mV and 193 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), at the current density of 10 mA cm -2 , with Tafel slopes of 23.14 mV dec -1 and 88.21 mV dec -1 . After 200 h of OER and overall water splitting stability testing, the current density remains stable, providing insights into exploring efficient NiFe-based electrocatalysts.