A novel Ni Schiff base complex derived electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction
AbstractEfficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are critical for various energy conversion devices such as metal air batteries, rechargeable fuel cell, and water splitting for hydrogen production. In this work, a novel non precious metal OER catalyst was prepared from the pyrolysis of a Ni Schiff base complex with thiourea. The derived catalyst is composed of nickel oxide coupled with nickel sulfide loaded on nitrogen doped carbon matrix (NiO NiS/N C) which manifested excellent OER electrocatalytic activity, and an onset potential of 1.54 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode was achieved in alkaline electrolyte. The high performance of as obtained electrocatalyst was illustrated by fully dispersed active components of NiO coupled with NiS nanoparticles, as well as the strong interaction between NiS, NiO particles, and N doped carbon substrate. Our findings supply an easier path to fabricate the active catalyst through one step metal organic framework transformation way and are promising for use in energy conversion systems and also yield new impetus for exploring other non noble metal catalysts. Graphical abstract
Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry