Anchoring Ni(OH)2‐CeOx Heterostructure on FeOOH‐Modified Nickel‐Mesh for Efficient Alkaline Water‐Splitting Performance with Improved Stability under Quasi‐Industrial Conditions

Abstract

AbstractDeveloping low‐cost and industrially viable electrode materials for efficient water‐splitting performance and constructing intrinsically active materials with abundant active sites is still challenging. In this study, a self‐supported porous network Ni(OH)2‐CeOx heterostructure layer on a FeOOH‐modified Ni‐mesh (NiCe/Fe@NM) electrode is successfully prepared by a facile, scalable two‐electrode electrodeposition strategy for overall alkaline water splitting. The optimized NiCe0.05/Fe@NM catalyst reaches a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 163 and 262 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively, in 1.0 m KOH with excellent stability. Additionally, NiCe0.05/Fe@NM demonstrates exceptional HER performance in alkaline seawater, requiring only 148 mV overpotential at 100 mA cm−2. Under real water splitting conditions, NiCe0.05/Fe@NM requires only 1.701 V to achieve 100 mA cm−2 with robust stability over 1000 h in an alkaline medium. The remarkable water‐splitting performance and stability of the NiCe0.05/Fe@NM catalyst result from a synergistic combination of factors, including well‐optimized surface and electronic structures facilitated by an optimal Ce ratio, rapid reaction kinetics, a superhydrophilic/superaerophobic interface, and enhanced intrinsic catalytic activity. This study presents a simple two‐electrode electrodeposition method for the scalable production of self‐supported electrocatalysts, paving the way for their practical application in industrial water‐splitting processes.