NiFeCo alloy nanoparticles composited with phosphorus-doped vacancies-abundant carbon substrates as electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

Transition metal alloy nanoparticles are cost-effective electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions. Preparing alloy catalysts with flexible controllability, high activity, and long-term stability is a challenge. By adjusting the proportion of metal atoms and engineering vacancies through their composite with a carbon substrate, we can enhance electron transfer and modulate the adsorption capacity of reaction intermediates. Herein, we synthesized a hybrid catalyst using Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) as the precursor, doped with Fe and Ni atoms, and subjected them to a defective engineering and phosphatization process. As an efficient alkaline OER electrocatalyst, the formation of the alloy increases the number of active sites, while the defect-rich phosphorus-doped carbon substrate improves internal electron transfer and mass transfer channels. The synthesized NiFeCoPC-1.5 electrocatalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity with an overpotential of 211 mV at 10 mA cm -2 and a Tafel slope of 59 mV dec -1 , and demonstrates good stability up to 1000 CV cycles. This work will expand the application of alloy nanoparticles in oxygen evolution electrodes.