Direct one-step growth of bimetallic ni2mo3n on ni foam as an efficient oxygen evolution electrocatalyst

Abstract

A simple and economical synthetic route for direct one-step growth of bimetallic Ni2Mo3N nanoparticles on Ni foam substrate (Ni2Mo3N/NF) and its catalytic performance during an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are reported. The Ni2Mo3N/NF catalyst was obtained by annealing a mixture of a Mo precursor, Ni foam, and urea at 600 °C under N2 flow using one-pot synthesis. Moreo-ver, the Ni2Mo3N/NF exhibited high OER activity with low overpotential values (336.38 mV at 50 mA cm−2 and 392.49 mV at 100 mA cm−2) and good stability for 5 h in Fe-purified alkaline electrolyte. The Ni2Mo3N nanoparticle surfaces converted into amorphous surface oxide species during the OER, which might be attributed to the OER activity.