P-block Bi doping stabilized reconstructed nickel sulfide as high-performance electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction. (10th September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Du, Bowen; Luo, Yuhong; Liu, Guihua; Xue, Wei; Wang, Yanji; Li, Jingde; Ricardez-Sandoval, Luis
• Is Part Of: Electrochimica acta. Volume 426(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-09-10
• Subjects: Oxygen evolution reaction -- P-block element, Bismuth doping -- Nickel sulfide -- Surface reconstruction; Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; Electrochemistry, Industrial -- Periodicals; 541.37
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2022.140779
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-4686

Abstract

Abstract: Turning the chemical state of in-situ converted oxyhydroxides is essential for the development of efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts. In this work, P-block element Bi is first introduced as a dopant to tune the in-situ reconstruction of Ni3 S2 pre-catalyst towards enhanced OER activity. Analysis revealed that Bi doping adjusts the electronic structure of Ni3 S2, improves its stability, and leads to mild surface oxidation forming supported Bi-NiOOH species. Theoretical calculations showed that Bi dopant serves as electron depletion center to provide electrons for Ni and O, and reduces the energy barriers of OER intermediates. Consequently, a low OER overpotential of 339 mV is achieved by the Bi-Ni3 S2 /NF electrode in 1M KOH at 100 mA cm −2 . More importantly, Bi-Ni3 S2 -NF retains a high catalytic stability even at 200 mA cm −2 . This work unveils the role of P-block metal doping on the sulfide-based OER pre-catalyst, providing an alternative strategy for the development of high-performance electrocatalysts.