NiS-Ni3S2树状异质结阵列在析氧反应中的应用

在过去的几十年里，数以万计化石能源的开发和利用导致了一系列的环境问题，例如温室效应和水污染等。许多应对的策略被提出以应对环境问题，可再生氢气是其中一个最为瞩目的能源。而在其中，电解水是为了获得可在生氢气最为环保的方案。在阳极发生反应过于低效则限制着这项技术的发展，所以研究开发高效的阳极电催化剂变得尤为重要。在本文中，我们通过一步水热法合成了一种直接生长在泡沫镍基地的NiS-Ni₃S₂树状异质结阵列。这个材料在实际电解水的阳极反应中表现出巨大的潜能，表现出高效的电催化性能和超强的稳定性能。NiS-Ni₃S₂树状异质结阵列比纳米棒状Ni₃S₂表现出更好的性能。因为其拥有更高的比表面积和NiS-Ni₃S₂之间协同效应展现。NiS-Ni₃S₂树状异质结阵列的高性能也可能是因为其紧密地与泡沫镍基地连接，拥有较好的电子传输路径。同时，在反应的过程中，一些羟基氢氧化镍的产生也有利于催化效果的提升。毫无疑问，NiS-Ni₃S₂树状异质结阵列作为电解水的阳极催化剂拥有极大的前景。

Tree-Like NiS-Ni3S2/NF Heterostructure Array and Its Application in Oxygen Evolution Reaction

In the past decade, fossil fuel resources have been exploited and utilized extensively, which could lead to increasing environmental crises, like greenhouse effect, water pollution, etc. Accordingly, many coping strategies have been put forward, such as water electrolysis, metal-air batteries, fuel cell, etc. Among the strategies mentioned above, water electrolysis is one of the most promising. Water splitting, which can achieve sustainable hydrogen production, is a favorable strategy due to the abundance of water resources. Splitting of water includes two half reactions integral to its operation: hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, its practical application is mainly impeded by the sluggish anode reaction. Simultaneously, noble metal oxides (IrO₂ and RuO₂) and Pt-based catalysts have been recognized as typical OER catalysts; however, the scarcity of noble metals greatly limits their development. Hence, designing an alternative electrocatalyst plays a vital role in the development of OER. However, exploring a highly active electrocatalyst for OER is still difficult. Herein, a miraculous construction of a tree-like array of NiS/Ni₃S₂ heterostructure, which is directly grown on Ni foam substrate, is synthesized via one-step hydrothermal process. Since NiS and Ni₃S₂ have shown great OER performance in previous investigations, this novel NiS-Ni₃S₂/Nikel foam (NF) heterostructure array has tremendous potential as a practical OER catalyst. Upon application in OER, the NiS-Ni₃S₂/NF heterostructure array catalyst exhibits excellent activity and stability. More specifically, this novel tree-like NiS-Ni₃S₂ heterostructure array shows extremely low overpotential (269 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA·cm^-2) and small Tafel slope for OER. It also shows extraordinary stability in alkaline electrolytes. Compared with the Ni₃S₂ nanorods array, the NiS-Ni₃S₂ heterostructure array has a synergistic effect that can improve the OER performance. Due to the secondary structure (Ni₃S₂ nanosheets), the tree-like NiS-Ni₃S₂ array provides more active sites could have higher specific surface area. The greater activity of the NiS/Ni₃S₂ heterostructure may also stem from the tight conjunction between tree-like NiS/Ni₃S₂ and the Ni foam substrate, which is beneficial for electronic transmission. Hydroxy groups can accumulate in large amounts on the surface of the tree-like array, and it also generates some Ni-based oxides that are favorable to OER. Moreover, the synergistic effect of such heterostructure can intrinsically improve the OER activity. The unique tree-like NiS-Ni₃S₂ heterostructure array has great potential as an alternative OER electrocatalyst.