Tuning Surface Electronic Configuration of NiFe LDHs Nanosheets by Introducing Cation Vacancies (Fe or Ni) as Highly Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction |
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| Authors: | Yanyong Wang Man Qiao Yafei Li Shuangyin Wang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio‐Sensing and Chemometrics, Provincial Hunan Key Laboratory for Graphene Materials and Devices, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, P. R. China;2. College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Jiangsu, Nanjing, P. R. China |
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| Abstract: | Intrinsically inferior electrocatalytic activity of NiFe layered double hydroxides (LDHs) nanosheets is considered as a limiting factor to inhibit the electrocatalytic properties for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Proper defect engineering to tune the surface electronic configuration of electrocatalysts may significantly improve the intrinsic activity. In this work, the selective formation of cation vacancies in NiFe LDHs nanosheets is successfully realized. The as‐synthesized NiFe LDHs‐VFe and NiFe LDHs‐VNi electrocatalysts show excellent activity for OER, mainly attributed to the introduction of rich iron or nickel vacancies in NiFe LDHs nanosheets, which efficiently tune the surface electronic structure increasing the adsorbing capacity of OER intermediates. Density functional theory (DFT) computational results also further indicate that the OER catalytic performance of NiFe LDHs can be pronouncedly improved by introducing Fe or Ni vacancies. |
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| Keywords: | cation vacancies electrocatalysts NiFe LDHs nanosheets oxygen evolution reaction surface electronic configuration |
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