Superhydrophilic cobalt-doped NiFe LDH graphite felt with enriched oxygen vacancy as an efficient oxygen evolution electrocatalyst in alkaline media

Efficient non-precious metal electrocatalysts are crucial for hydrogen production through water electrolysis . Combining a superhydrophilic electrocatalyst with oxygen vacancy and a conductive carbon matrix is significant for NiFe LDH-based oxygen evolution reaction (OER) applications. In this study, NiFe LDH nanoflowers and Co-doped NiFe LDH nanoneedles were synthesized on graphite felt through an in-situ self-assembly strategy. Further results have shown that doping Co into NiFe LDH nanoarrays significantly enhances the specific surface area and oxygen vacancy density, while the graphite felt serves as a conductive scaffold and prevents active sites detachment. Oxygen vacancies in Co 3 –Ni 7 Fe 3 LDH/TGF adjust the electronic configuration, and superhydrophilicity promotes effective electrolyte diffusion. This synergy endows Co 3 –Ni 7 Fe 3 LDH/TGF with excellent OER performance, lower overpotential of 252 mV (10 mA cm −2 ), a Tafel slope (63.13 mV), and stability at high current densities . This research provides a new perspective for utilizing non-precious metal catalysts on carbon substrates for hydrogen production .