Enhancing OER Activity Through Water Treatment-Induced Surface Reconstruction of Metal Surfaces

This research introduces a simple and effective method to enhance oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance through surface reconstruction of metal substrates via hydration. A water treatment technique is employed to form a nanometer-thick hydroxide layer on Ni foam, which significantly improved OER activity compared to pristine Ni. To further explore catalyst performance on hydrated substrates, NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) is deposited, resulting in NiFe LDH@hydrated Ni foam achieving superior performance and exceptional stability, maintaining 1 A cm-2 for 1000 h. In contrast, NiFe LDH@pristine Ni foam showed rapid degradation. Interestingly, while the hydrated hydroxide layer demonstrated remarkable OER activity, it is ineffective for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the differing roles of hydroxides in OER and HER, providing insights into their electrochemical pathways. These findings highlight that simple hydration enhances the activity and long-term stability of LDH catalysts, addressing a key limitation in their practical use. This study demonstrates a promising and scalable strategy for improving OER performance and catalyst durability, offering valuable insights into the role of surface hydroxides in electrode reactions for energy applications.

Upcycling of Spent LiFePO4 Cathodes to Heterostructured Electrocatalysts for Stable Direct Seawater Splitting

The pursuit of carbon-neutral energy has intensified the interest in green hydrogen production from direct seawater electrolysis, given the scarcity of freshwater resources. While Ni-based catalysts are known for their robust activity in alkaline water oxidation, their catalytic sites are prone to rapid degradation in the chlorine-rich environments of seawater, leading to limited operation time. Herein, we report a Ni(OH)2 catalyst interfaced with laser-ablated LiFePO4 (Ni(OH)2/L-LFP), derived from spent Li-ion batteries (LIBs), as an effective and stable electrocatalyst for direct seawater oxidation. Our comprehensive analyses reveal that the PO4 3- species, formed around L-LFP, effectively repels Cl- ions during seawater oxidation, mitigating corrosion. Simultaneously, the interface between in situ generated NiOOH and Fe3(PO4)2 enhances OH- adsorption and electron transfer during the oxygen evolution reaction. This synergistic effect leads to a low overpotential of 237 mV to attain a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and remarkable durability, with only a 3.3 % activity loss after 600 h at 100 mA cm-2 in alkaline seawater. Our findings present a viable strategy for repurposing spent LIBs into high-performance catalysts for sustainable seawater electrolysis, contributing to the advancement of green hydrogen production technologies.

Nickel-Induced Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanoribbon Formation on Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite for Electronic and Magnetic Applications

The development of nanoribbon-like structures is an effective strategy to harness the potential benefits of graphenic materials due to their excellent electrical properties, advantageous edge sites, rapid electron transport, and large specific area. Herein, parallel and connected magnetic nanostructured nanoribbons are obtained through the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using NiCl2 as a precursor with potential applications in nascent electronic and magnetic devices. Several analytical techniques have been used for the thorough characterization of the modified surfaces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows the characteristic topographical features of the nanoribbons. While X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy provided information on the chemical state of Ni and graphene-like structures, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPFM) confirmed the preferential concentration of Ni onto rGO nanoribbons. These results indicate that the synthesized material shows 1D ordering of nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs)-decorating tiny rGO flakes into thin threads and the subsequent 2D arrangement of the latter into parallel ribbons following the topography of the HOPG basal plane.

Structural and chemical properties of NiOx thin films: the role of oxygen vacancies in NiOOH formation in a H2O atmosphere

NiOx films grown from 50 nm thick Ni on Si(111) were put in contact with oxygen and subsequently water vapor at elevated temperatures. Near ambient pressure (NAP)-XPS and -XAS reveal the formation of oxygen vacancies at elevated temperatures, followed by H2O dissociation and saturation of the oxygen vacancies with chemisorbing OH. Through repeated heating and cooling, OH-saturated oxygen vacancies act as precursors for the formation of thermally stable NiOOH on the sample surface. This is accompanied by a significant restructuring of the surface which increases the probability of NiOOH formation. Exposure of a thin NiOx film to H2O can lead to a partial reduction of NiOx to metallic Ni accompanied by a distinct shift of the NiOx spectra with respect to the Fermi edge. DFT calculations show that the formation of oxygen vacancies and subsequently Ni0 leads to a state within the band gap of NiO which pins the Fermi edge.

Water electrolysis: from textbook knowledge to the latest scientific strategies and industrial developments

Replacing fossil fuels with energy sources and carriers that are sustainable, environmentally benign, and affordable is amongst the most pressing challenges for future socio-economic development. To that goal, hydrogen is presumed to be the most promising energy carrier. Electrocatalytic water splitting, if driven by green electricity, would provide hydrogen with minimal CO2 footprint. The viability of water electrolysis still hinges on the availability of durable earth-abundant electrocatalyst materials and the overall process efficiency. This review spans from the fundamentals of electrocatalytically initiated water splitting to the very latest scientific findings from university and institutional research, also covering specifications and special features of the current industrial processes and those processes currently being tested in large-scale applications. Recently developed strategies are described for the optimisation and discovery of active and durable materials for electrodes that ever-increasingly harness first-principles calculations and machine learning. In addition, a technoeconomic analysis of water electrolysis is included that allows an assessment of the extent to which a large-scale implementation of water splitting can help to combat climate change. This review article is intended to cross-pollinate and strengthen efforts from fundamental understanding to technical implementation and to improve the 'junctions' between the field's physical chemists, materials scientists and engineers, as well as stimulate much-needed exchange among these groups on challenges encountered in the different domains.

Stabilizing Hydrous β-NiOOH for Efficient Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation by Integrating Y and Co into Amorphous Ni-Based Nanoparticles

A two-stage ball milling process was used to synthesize amorphous Ni_79.2Nb_12.5Y_8.3 and Ni_74.2Co₅Nb_12.5Y_8.3 nanoparticles from elemental powders. The two-stage ball milling process provides a scalable and industrially applicable method for producing non-metalloid amorphous nanoparticles. The amorphous nanoparticles displayed excellent catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1 M KOH, displaying lower overpotentials than IrO₂ at 10 mA cm^-2. The addition of Co in the amorphous alloy reduced the overpotential to 288 mV at 10 mA cm^-2. The pairing of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that the improved OER activity of amorphous Ni_74.2Co₅Nb_12.5Y_8.3 was attributed to the catalytic synergy between Y and Co. The integration of Y supported proton-coupled electron-transfer processes that assisted with the electrostatic adsorption of OH^- and formation of oxyhydroxide species, while Co sites enabled metal-oxo bonding to prevent Ni overcharging and the stabilization of β-NiOOH. The catalytic synergy between Y and Co reduces the amount of Co needed to enhance the OER activity of Ni-based alloys and lessens the dependence on Co, which is in high demand in many renewable energy and storage applications.

Cation Overcrowding Effect on the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The influence of electrolyte ions on the catalytic activity of electrode/electrolyte interfaces is a controversial topic for many electrocatalytic reactions. Herein, we focus on an effect that is usually neglected, namely, how the local reaction conditions are shaped by nonspecifically adsorbed cations. We scrutinize the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at nickel (oxy)hydroxide catalysts, using a physicochemical model that integrates density functional theory calculations, a microkinetic submodel, and a mean-field submodel of the electric double layer. The aptness of the model is verified by comparison with experiments. The robustness of model-based insights against uncertainties and variations in model parameters is examined, with a sensitivity analysis using Monto Carlo simulations. We interpret the decrease in OER activity with the increasing effective size of electrolyte cations as a consequence of cation overcrowding near the negatively charged electrode surface. The same reasoning could explain why the OER activity increases with solution pH on the RHE scale and why the OER activity decreases in the presence of bivalent cations. Overall, this work stresses the importance of correctly accounting for local reaction conditions in electrocatalytic reactions to obtain an accurate picture of factors that determine the electrode activity.

Ni(OH)2 Templated Synthesis of Ultrathin Ni3 S2 Nanosheets as Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting

Ultrathin nickel (Ni)-based sulfide nanosheets have been reported as excellent electrocatalysts for overall water splitting; however, the uncontrollability over thickness due to the nonlayered structure still hampers its practical application. Herein, a simple topochemical conversion strategy is employed to synthesize cobalt-doped Ni₃ S₂ (Co-Ni₃ S₂ ) ultrathin nanosheets on Ni foam. The Co-Ni₃ S₂ nanosheets are controlled synthesized by using Co-Ni(OH)₂ ultrathin nanosheets as templates with anneal and sulfurization treatment, showing exceptional electrocatalytic activity. This template-assisted method can also be applied to obtain Ni, NiO, and NiP_x nanosheets, providing a universal strategy to synthesize ultrathin nanosheets of nonlayered materials. The overall water splitting of this Co-Ni₃ S₂ ultrathin nanosheets achieves a low voltage of 1.54 V at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 and high durability in 1 m KOH, comparable to the best performance of electrochemical water splitting ever reported. The detailed structural transformation of Ni-based sulfides in the catalytic process and its mechanism are further explored both experimentally and theoretically.

Self-Supported, Sulfate-Functionalized Nickel Hydroxide Nanoplates with Enhanced Wettability and Conductivity for Use in High-Performance Supercapacitors

Nickel hydroxide is promising for use in supercapacitor applications because of its low cost and tunable electrochemical properties, but its performance is usually restricted by insufficient conductivity and surface reactivity. In this work, sulfate-functionalized Ni(OH)₂ (SNO) nanoplates were grown in situ on nickel foam (NF) by a green and facile one-step hydrothermal treatment of NF without the need for an external Ni source or surfactant addition. The resulting material showed a 9.3 times higher areal capacity and 1.8 times higher rate capability than the sulfate-free control and retained 81.3 % capacity after 5000 cycles. If used as the positive electrode in a hybrid supercapacitor, the SNO/NF//activated carbon system achieved >95 % Coulombic efficiency, a maximum energy density of 3.59 Wh m^-2 , and a maximum power density of 44.63 Wm^-2 , which surpass those achievable by most known Ni-based supercapacitors. Detailed material characterization and DFT calculations revealed that the introduction of sulfate expanded the layer spacing of Ni(OH)₂ and improved the electrical conductivity and wettability to favor more efficient electrolyte diffusion, charge transfer, and reactant adsorption. The high loading of reactive components and inherited porous structure also contributed to the superior capacitive performance of the SNO/NF electrodes. Therefore, SNO/NF holds great potential for commercialized supercapacitor applications.

Molecular structure and interactions of water intercalated in nickel hydroxide

The structure and properties of α-Ni(OH)2 containing water and nitrate have been investigated computationally. The adsorption of water molecules on the Ni(OH)2 surface is also investigated to provide insight into the nature of the water-Ni(OH)2 interactions. The spectroscopic and dynamical behaviour of the intercalated species has been characterized and used to explain experimental findings reported for this material. The results presented here indicate that the water molecules interact non-covalently with Ni(OH)2, with a binding energy that is comparable in magnitude with that of the water dimer hydrogen bond. The presence of the intercalated species increases the distance between the Ni(OH)2 layers such that the interlayer interactions are negligible. The weakening of the interlayer interactions facilitates the horizontal displacement of the layers relative to one another, providing a possible origin for stacking faults observed in α-Ni(OH)2. Comparison of the vibrational frequencies calculated here with the experimental spectra confirms that α-Ni(OH)2 containing only water molecules can be synthesized. The structures of the water molecules intercalated in α-Ni(OH)2 were found to be analogous to those absorbed in γ-NiOOH, while the water-layer interactions are stronger in γ-NiOOH. The results presented here characterize the structure and interactions of water intercalated in nickel hydroxides and also provide insights into the effects of intercalated water on the properties of layered metal hydroxides.