Cost-Effective NiCoFe Nanoflower Electrocatalysts for Efficient and Sustainable Bifunctional Water Splitting
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62239/jca.2026.028Abstract
The development of efficient, durable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts is essential for large-scale water splitting toward sustainable hydrogen production. However, the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remain a major bottleneck, often requiring noble-metal-based catalysts. In this context, bifunctional electrocatalysts capable of driving both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) offer a promising strategy to simplify system design and reduce overall costs. Herein, a NiCoFe nanoflower catalyst is designed as an efficient bifunctional electrode for overall water splitting. The effect of Fe incorporation on catalytic performance is systematically investigated, revealing a composition-performance dependence. The optimized catalyst delivers overpotentials of 298 mV at 100 mA.cm⁻² for OER and 143 mV at 10 mA.cm⁻² for HER. The enhanced performance is attributed to the nanoflower morphology and synergistic interactions among Ni, Co, and Fe, which promote charge transfer and reaction kinetics.Downloads
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