Enhanced Water Splitting with Sulfur-Doped Nickel Ferrite for Green Hydrogen at Industrial Current Density

Abstract

The main challenge for water electrolysis is that continuous and effective hydrogen evolution at high current densities is unattainable due to the quick degradation of performance that occurs with extended large-current operation. In this work, sulfur-doped nickel ferrite nanocomposites were prepared using simple hydrothermal method with the objective of improving electrocatalytic green hydrogen production at industrial current densities. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyse the crystalline structure, morphology, and chemical composition of the synthesised nanocomposites. The prepared S−NiFe₂O₄/NF (NS-85) catalyst exhibits excellent electrochemical water-splitting activity, a low overpotential, a high current density, and extended stability lasting more than 12 hours. The NS-85/NF electrode has a cathodic current density of 300 mA cm⁻² at −0.329 V overpotential and at the lowest overpotential of −0.264 V, the electrode has a current density of 100 mA cm⁻². Our work provides new approaches to the development of earth-abundant, stable, scalable, and highly effective catalysts for industrial water electrolysis.