Facile Preparation of Nickel Hydroxide Composite Material as Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

With the development of industry, the large-scale consumption of fossil energy has brought serious environmental pollution. Therefore, the development of renewable clean energy to replace traditional fossil fuels has become the focus of research. In this study, nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)₂) composite was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize its morphology and structure. The results proved the successful preparation of the Ni(OH)₂ composite and show that the prepared composite has a three-dimensional flower-like structure. In addition, the electrochemical performance of the prepared Ni(OH)₂ composite was investigated under the three-electrode system. The three-dimensional flower-like structure of the composite can make the electrode and electrolyte fully contact, providing a rapid transfer path for ions and electrons to improve the electrochemical performance of the electrode material. This work provides new ideas for the preparation of self-assembled nickel-based materials and the wide application in electrocatalyst.

Keywords:

• Nickel hydroxide composite
• hydrothermal
• electrochemical performance
• OER

Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate the financial supports of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21872119), Qinhuangdao Science and Technology Support Project (No. 201602A112), Science and Technology Support Project of Department of Health of Hebei Province (No. 20171246), and Project of Human Resources and Social Security Department of Hebei Province (No. A2017002075).