Incorporating Zn Into Amorphous FeB Enables Rapid Reconstruction for Boosted Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Fe-based materials are widely recognized as highly promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) owing to their high cost-effectiveness and intrinsic activity. Nevertheless, their practical application is severely hindered by sluggish reconstruction kinetics toward forming the true active (oxy)hydroxide species, as well as significant structural degradation under high-current-density operation. Heteroatom doping or alloying represents an effective strategy to overcome these bottlenecks. Herein, we successfully synthesized Zn-incorporated FeB on nickel foam (ZnFeB/NF) via a facile electroless plating strategy. Comprehensive characterizations, including in situ Raman spectroscopy, reveal that Zn incorporation modulates the electronic structure and induces a high degree of amorphization. This not only significantly accelerates the dynamic surface reconstruction of the ZnFeB precatalyst but also confers robust resistance against deep anodic corrosion. Benefiting from the synergistic structural and electronic advantages, the reconstructed ZnFeB electrode exhibits outstanding OER performance, requiring a remarkably low overpotential of 320 mV to achieve an industrial current density of 1 A cm⁻², while maintaining continuous operation for 100 h without apparent degradation.