Construction of Fe-substituted CoZn layered double hydroxide as an efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction

Background: The development of efficient electrocatalysts for water-splitting is crucial to meet future energy demands. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have emerged as promising electrode materials in alkaline medium owing to their superior electrocatalytic properties. Methods: In this study, we report the synthesis of two-dimensional nanosheets of trimetallic cobalt-zinc-iron (Co1-xZnFex) LDH via a coprecipitation method as an effective catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We investigated the electrocatalytic activity of Co1-xZnFex LDH by tuning the concentrations of Fe and Co (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5).Significant findings: The Co1-xZnFex (x = 0.3) LDH exhibited the highest OER performance, requiring only 350 mV overpotential and showing 63 mV dec(-1) Tafel slope to achieve a geometric current density of 10 mA cm(- 2) indicates the improved reaction kinetics. The Co0.7ZnFe0.3 LDH nanosheets had a large surface area and many active sites, as evidenced by the double layer capacitance (Cdl) slope of 28 mu F cm(- 2) in a 1 M KOH electrolyte. Moreover, the Co0.7ZnFe0.3 LDH electrocatalysts also maintained excellent stability with a current retention of 99% over 10 h. Hence, our proposed two-dimensional nanosheets-based LDH could be a promising candidate for the development of high performance electrocatalysts for the OER.