NiCoP–CeO2 composites for efficient electrochemical oxygen evolution

In this study, a novel NiCoP–CeO2 composite was constructed on a Ni foam by a simple hydrothermal method and thermal phosphating strategy. In the OER test, NiCoP–CeO2 exhibited a low overpotential of 217 mV at 10 mA cm−2, 45 mV dec−1 of Tafel slopes. With the help of theoretical calculations and experimental characterization, the reason for performance improvement was analyzed in depth. The results show that CeO2 leads to a confinement effect, maintaining the nanosheet morphology of NiCo-LDHs, which contributes to sustaining the catalyst in favourable contact with H2O and minimizing the OER potential. Furthermore, by loading CeO2 onto NiCoP, the hydrophilicity of the catalyst is significantly enhanced. Our work provides an ingenious synthesis strategy for the preparation of efficient and inexpensive electrocatalytic materials.