Effect of Different Transition Metal Ion Dopants on the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Activity of Ni(OH)2

Ni(OH) 2 is considered as one of most promising oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts owing to its low cost and earth abundance. Nevertheless, the low conductivity and poor intrinsic activity of Ni(OH) 2 seriously restricts its industrial application. Meanwhile, the relationship between the structure, OER activity of Ni(OH) 2 -based catalysts, and transition-metal dopants is still unclear. To meet above challenges, a series of Ni(OH) 2 –M (M = Fe, Al, Co, Cr) was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The experimental results confirmed that the incorporation of different metal elements into Ni(OH) 2 can not only alter the morphology and modulate electronic structure but also improve the intrinsic catalytic activity. Particularly, the Ni(OH) 2 –Fe exhibits the best OER activity, requiring 252 mV and 288 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and 100 mA cm −2 , with a Tafel slope of 39.1 mV dec −1 and superior stability (50 mA cm −2 for 30 h). This work provides a pathway to understand the relationship between structure, OER activity of Ni(OH) 2 -based catalysts, and incorporation of transition-metal elements, which facilitates the development of advanced OER electrocatalysts.