In order to accelerate the reaction rate of water splitting, it is of immense importance to develop low-cost, stable and efficient catalysts. In this study, the facile synthesis of a novel rose-like nanocomposite catalyst (Ni2 P/Fe2 P/Fe3 O4 ) is reported. The synthesis process includes a solvothermal step and a phosphatization step to combine iron oxides and iron-nickel phosphides. Ni2 P/Fe2 P/Fe3 O4 performs well in catalyzing oxygen evolution reaction, with a very low overpotential of 365 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2 current density. The Tafel slope is as low as 59 mV dec-1 . Ni2 P/Fe2 P/Fe3 O4 has a large double-layer capacitance that contributes to a high electrochemically active area. Moreover, this catalyst is very stable for long-term use. Therefore, the Ni2 P/Fe2 P/Fe3 O4 catalyst has a high potential for use in oxygen evolution reactions.
Keywords: bimetallic catalysts; energy conversion; iron-nickel phosphide; oxygen evolution reaction; water splitting.
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