Ni3Se4/Fe(PO3)2/NF composites as high-efficiency electrocatalysts with a low overpotential for the oxygen evolution reaction

The design of efficient, environment-friendly, stable, and low-cost oxygen evolution electrocatalysts is a technical difficulty in realizing the commercial application of water electrolysis. Herein, we developed a novel three-dimensional (3D) electrocatalyst to grow Ni3Se4/Fe(PO3)2 composites on nickel foam (NF) in a short time of 80 s by a simple electrodeposition method, which not only effectively prevents the agglomeration of Ni3Se4, but also reduces the size of Fe(PO3)2 particles from micron level to nanometer level, exposing more electroactive sites. Fe(PO3)2 with a low crystalline structure and crystalline Ni3Se4 can form a unique heterostructure to produce a strong electron coupling and synergistic effect for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline media, which effectively improves the intrinsic activity of Ni/FeOOH active sites. The Ni3Se4/Fe(PO3)2/NF composites as catalysts can achieve a low overpotential of 185 mV in alkaline media at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 30.4 mV dec−1, exhibiting excellent OER catalytic activity and stability.