Surfactant-driven synthesis of sheet-like Ni3S2-embedded S-doped FeCo LDH electrocatalyst for superior oxygen evolution performance: Exploring the role of surfactants in performance and stability

Abstract

Although the splitting approach based on electrochemical interactions is a common way to produce hydrogen gas, the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) considerably restricts the total energy conversion performances. Here, a highly active and durable Ni₃S₂-embedded S-doped FeCo layered double hydroxide supported on nickel foam (Ni₃S₂@SFC-LDH@NF) electrocatalyst was successfully synthesized through a surfactant-driven synthesis approach. The surfactant type was researched to boost the morphology and electrocatalytic performance using cationic (e.g., cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)), anionic (e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)), and neutral (e.g.,polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)) surfactants. Among these surfactants, the PVP-based electrocatalyst (EC-PVP) showed a superior OER activity, achieving a lowest overpotential of 141 mV at current density of 10 mA/cm². Furthermore, EC-PVP has excellent long-term stability with no degradation even after 27.8 h at 10 mA/cm². The proposed article emphasizes the crucial impact of surfactant selection on the structure and efficacy of electrocatalysts.