Electrocatalytic Activity of Multifunctional Mn-Doped SrFeO3-δ/Ti-MXene Nanohybrid for Efficient Overall Water Splitting

Abstract

Toward the global pursuit of a clean and sustainable future, hydrogen (H₂) is emerging as a promising clean energy carrier for increasing energy demands. From various techniques of H₂ production, electrochemical water splitting has gained significant attention due to its zero-carbon footprint. However, a critical obstacle lies in developing cost-effective, eco-friendly, and stable catalysts with remarkable electrocatalytic performance for HER and OER. Among various electrocatalysts, perovskite oxides (ABO₃) offer better performance for the OER due to their tunable crystal structure and compositional versatility. Similarly, MXenes, with their unique properties, are emerging as efficient catalyst supports but face challenges like low oxidation resistance, restacking, and limited intrinsic active sites. Herein, we report a Mn-doped SrFeO_3-δ perovskite decorated on Ti-MXene as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. The hybrid structure synergistically enhances redox activity, achieving a current density of 20 mA cm^–2 at low overpotentials of 303 mV (OER) and 163 mV (HER), with Tafel slopes of 48.07 and 101.55 mV dec^–1, respectively. The catalyst demonstrates excellent durability, is able to maintain 45 h, and operates at an overall cell voltage of 1.75 V. These findings validate the potential of perovskite-MXene nanohybrids as cost-effective and robust catalysts for green hydrogen production via water splitting, paving the way for sustainable energy technologies.