Facile synthesis of strontium selenide supported copper sulfide hybrid nanosheets as an efficient electrode for high-performance OER

To drive clean and sustainable fuel production via water electrolysis, development of high-performing, cost-effective electrocatalysts rich in earth elements without relying on precious metals or costly materials is crucial. In this study, strontium selenide (SrSe), copper sulfide (CuS), and composite SrSe@CuS via a traditional coprecipitate method under alkaline conditions are synthesized. Characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction, Transmission electron microscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis are employed to analyze the structure, morphology, and surface characteristics. The larger surface area of 123 m2 g-1 and lower crystalline size (46.43 nm) of SrSe@CuS nanosheets show more active sites for oxygen evolution reaction. The oxygen evolution activity displayed overpotentials of 290 mV, a lower tafel slope of 67 mV dec-1, and Lower charge transfer resistance (RCT) values of SrSe@CuS nanosheets (1.82 omega) surpassing the individual SrSe and CuS nanosheets. Notably, the SrSe@CuS nanosheets exhibited remarkable stability, maintaining an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of 10 mA cm-2 for over 50 h and sustaining a negligible loss in performance even after 50,000 cycles of repetitive cyclivoltammetry scans. These findings highlight their potential applicability in energy conversion and storage systems.