Facile one-step electrodeposition of two-dimensional nickel-iron bimetallic sulfides for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

In this work, a series of binary metal sulfides with well-defined two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet structures are in situ achieved on nickel foams (NF) via a one-step electrodeposition strategy under ambient conditions, which directly serve as effective electrodes for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) from water splitting. These NiFeS@NF nanosheets require a low overpotential of only 243 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm(-2), superior to that of NiCoS@NF and FeCoS@NF synthesized under the same conditions. The mechanism by which the OER kinetics are enhanced is investigated in detail, where the unique 2D nanosheet architectures and Fe incorporation play a significant role. This hassle-free approach reported here contributes to an inexpensive and convenient access to the fabrication of effective nanocatalysts that can preclude harsh synthetic conditions such as high temperature and high pressure. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates the in situ achievement of a series of well-defined two-dimensional metal sulfide nanosheet structures on nickel foams, serving as effective electrodes for the oxygen evolution reaction. The nanosheets exhibit a low overpotential and superior performance compared to counterparts synthesized under similar conditions. The enhanced OER kinetics is attributed to the unique 2D nanosheet architectures and iron incorporation.