Hydrangea-like sulfide NiFe Layered Double Hydroxides grown on undulate nickel framework as bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting

Abstract Developing efficient and low-priced catalysts with predominant durableness for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an extraordinary challenge in the preparation of green hydrogen energy by electrochemical water splitting. Thence, we report a ponderable and accomplished method to fabricate active bifunctional electrocatalysts, in which hydrangea-like NiFe LDH sulfide nanosheets are supported on the hills-like nickel framework (NiFe LDH-Ni-S/NF). This optimal NiFe LDH-Ni-S/NF electrode exhibits excellent electrochemical properties in an alkaline medium which requires 256 mV to fulfill a current density of 100 mA cm-2 for OER and 94 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2 for HER. An electrochemical water splitting appliance uses this bifunctional electrocatalyst as both anode and cathode, exhibiting small cell potential (1.56V@10 mA cm-2). Besides, the water electrolyzer can suffer a long time of 20 h at 10 mA cm-2, showing the feasibility in a practical unbiased alkaline water splitting system.