Synthesis of Ni-foam supported bifunctional electrocatalyst based on transition metals for electrochemical water splitting Faiza Wahad , Aqsa Nazeer, Muhammad Altaf, Raja Shahid Ashraf Institute of Chemical Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Government College University, Lahore-Pakistan In modern economies, energy security is a serious concern. Increased depletion rates of fossil fuels, as well as rising greenhouse gas emissions associated with the combustion of fossil fuels, and anthropogenic activities, have urged humanity to realign on primary energy sources. 1 The ultimate goal is carbon neutrality, which could be achieved by developing energy-efficient transition technologies that reduce carbon footprints. 2 The emerging technology for the production of green hydrogen is electrochemical water splitting, which is anticipated to be a cheap fuel source in years to come. Continuous efforts have been made to replace Pt-based electrocatalysts with transition metal and chalcogenides-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER). 3 Transition metal (Nickel and Iron) based electrocatalysts have gained immense attention due to metals' natural abundance, lower cost, and efficient water-splitting activities. 4-7 Herein, Ni and Fe-based electrocatalysts supported over nickel foam were synthesized by simple and efficient methods, as bi- functional electrocatalysts for complete water electrolysis in alkaline medium. The as-synthesized electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX). Electrochemical analysis results showed the low onset potential, high current density, and over potential along with great long-run stability for HER and OER. The catalysts showed efficient and robust electrochemical activities due to large exposed active sites available on the Ni-foam surface. Its intrinsic activities are facilitated by the synergic effect of Ni and Fe, which resulted in outstanding catalyst performances. References 1. Axon, C.; Darton, R. J. S. P.; Consumption, Sustainability and risk–a review of energy security. 2021, 27 , 1195-1204. 2. Kurniawan, T. A.; Othman, M. H. D.; Liang, X.; Goh, H. H.; Gikas, P.; Chong, K.-K.; Chew, K. W. J. J. o. e. m., Challenges and opportunities for biochar to promote circular economy and carbon neutrality. 2023, 332 , 117429. 3. Hota, P.; Das, A.; Maiti, D. K. J. I. J. o. H. E., A short review on generation of green fuel hydrogen through water splitting. 2023, 48 (2), 523-541. 4. Zhang, R.; Xie, A.; Cheng, L.; Bai, Z.; Tang, Y.; Wan, P. J. C. C., Hydrogen production by traditional and novel alkaline water electrolysis on Nickel or Iron based electrocatalysts. 2023 . 5. Li, J.; Jing, Z.; Bai, H.; Chen, Z.; Osman, A. I.; Farghali, M.; Rooney, D. W.; Yap, P.-S. J. E. C. L., Optimizing hydrogen production by alkaline water decomposition with transition metal-based electrocatalysts. 2023 , 1-35. 6. Zhang, X.-Y.; Xie, J.-Y.; Ma, Y.; Dong, B.; Liu, C.-G.; Chai, Y.-M. J. C. E. J., An overview of the active sites in transition metal electrocatalysts and their practical activity for hydrogen evolution reaction. 2022, 430 , 132312. 7. Das, C.; Sinha, N.; Roy, P. J. S., Transition Metal Non‐Oxides as Electrocatalysts: Advantages and Challenges. 2022, 18 (28), 2202033.
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