Transition metal chalcogenides have shown promising catalytic performance in the oxygen evolution reaction. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization, and examination of the electrocatalytic activity of a series of nickel diselenide/cerium (IV) oxide nanocomposites (NiSe2/CeO2) in the oxygen evolution reaction in 1.0 M KOH solution. A battery of characterization techniques including XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, BET, XPS, and TEM was employed to study the structure and morphology of the synthesized materials. The ratio of the two components of the nanocomposite was varied systematically to achieve the maximum catalytic efficiency. It was observed that the nanocomposite with a 10:1 mass ratio of NiSe2 to CeO2 (NiSe2/CeO2_10:1) exhibited the highest activity, with a measured overpotential of 250 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 63 mV dec−1. These numbers are comparable to some of the best electrocatalysts known to date for the electrochemical oxidation of water. Moreover, the NiSe2/CeO2_10:1 nanocomposite showed a very good long-term electrochemical stability in an alkaline medium. The excellent catalytic properties of this nanocomposite suggest that it can be potentially used as an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction.

NiSe2/CeO2 nanocomposite as a high-performance electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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