Efficient nanosheet clusters Ni6Fe2Co2/NF-VC for promoting the OER in anion exchange membrane electrolysis

This study developed a ternary Ni₆Fe₂Co₂/NF-VC nanoparticle cluster material, aiming to enhance the efficiency of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and achieve excellent water decomposition performance. A self-supported anode was fabricated via one-electrode reduction synthesis for the OER active site, which exhibits significant catalytic activity due to its unique surface restructuring process and controlled electronic structure. The results demonstrate that this anode has outstanding intrinsic catalytic activity in anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysis: at 10 mA/cm² current density, the overpotential is as low as 203 mV, with a Tafel slope of 19.69 mV/dec. Under industrial testing conditions (500 mA/cm²), the anode requires only 1.98 V to operate stably and maintains stable operation for 50 hours under continuous cycling. Pressure loss analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies reveal that the rate-controlling step of the OER reaction is the mass transfer process. The improved catalytic material achieves enhanced dynamic and transport performance through the construction of favorable gas-liquid transfer channels and electronic transfer pathways, effectively reducing kinetic and diffusion limitations in the electrolysis system. This study provides a novel approach for designing highly efficient and stable water decomposition catalysts.