Surface reconstruction of Fe doping NiC2O4 by the electrocatalytic reaction to improve the performance of overall water splitting

The most environmentally friendly method for producing hydrogen is through the electrolysis of water, reliable and effective catalysts play a crucial role in enhancing hydrogen production efficiency. In this paper, Fe-NiC2O4/ NF in block form was prepared by hydrothermal method on nickel foam (NF) for electrolysis of water under alkaline conditions. The surface reconstruction of the Fe-NiC2O4/NF was further investigated via XRD, FTIR, and XPS during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The catalytic activity of Fe-Ni(OH)2/NiOOH formed after reconstruction was considerably enhanced in comparison to the original catalyst. The overpotentials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at 10 mA cm-2 and OER at 100 mA cm- 2 were 126 mV and 260 mV, respectively. Meanwhile, applying it in a two-electrode, total hydrolysis device only requires 1.53 V at 10 mA cm- 2. This investigation introduces a novel method for surface reconstruction of electrocatalysts to facilitate electrolytic water reaction.