Ultra-fast electrochemical preparation of Ni-Cu-Fe nano-micro dendrite as a highly active and stable electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

The development of highly active, durable, and low-cost electrocatalysts for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) to advance the commercial applications of overall water electrolysis is regarded as a crucial matter. We describe an ultra-fast synthesis of multi-metal Ni-Cu-Fe micro-nano dendritic electrocatalysts were synthesized on nickel foam using a simple one-step constant current electrodeposition method. According to DFT simulations, Fe incorporation causes a downshift movement in the d-band center and the formation of additional catalytic active sites. Ni-Cu-Fe nano-micro dendrites have potential applications as bifunctional catalysts for electrochemical water splitting. Also, the increased electrical conductivity of the Ni-Cu-Fe electrode is due to the placement of more electronic states near the Fermi level and creating an optimal and porous dendritic structure that causes better electrolyte penetration in the pores. Experiments show that in the 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, Ni-Cu-Fe catalysts need an ultra-low overpotentials of 42 mV and 300 mV to supply a current density of −10 mA cm⁻² for the HER and 50 mA cm⁻² for the OER. Also, when Ni-Cu-Fe electrocatalyst is used as a bifunctional electrode in the overall water splitting system, it displays a low cell voltage of 1.54 V in a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² can maintain this activity for more than 100 h.