Revealing the Surface Reconstruction on the High OER Catalytic Activity of Ni3S2

Abstract

Sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a crucial part of water splitting and solar fuel generation, which limits their utilization. Ni3S2 is a promising OER catalyst, in which surface reconstruction is an important step to improve performance. In this study, DFT calculations were employed to investigate the effect of surface reconstruction on (001), (110), and (101) surfaces of Ni3S2 in alkaline OER. According to the Pourbaix diagram and surface free energy landscape, Ni3S2 is prone to transform into Ni oxides and (oxy) hydroxides under alkaline OER conditions. This process induces exposed S atoms to leach and O from the electrolyte to incorporate S sites, thereby lowering the Bader charge of *O and increasing (Formula presented.), and then decrease (Formula presented.), the free energy penalty of the potential determining step. In general, the surface reconstruction enhances the OER activity through S leaching and adjusting the coordination environment. We believe this work not only provides insights into the clarification of surface reconstruction, but also provides a valuable guideline for the further discovery of efficient TM-based sulfides.