Facile one-step electrodeposition of two-dimensional nickel-iron bimetallic sulfides for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

Abstract In this work, a series of binary metal sulfides with well-defined two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet structures are in situ achieved on nickel foams (NF) via a one-step electrodeposition strategy under ambient conditions, which directly serve as effective electrodes for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) from water splitting. These NiFeS@NF nanosheets require a low overpotential of only 243 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2, superior to that of NiCoS@NF and FeCoS@NF synthesized under the same conditions. The mechanism by which the OER kinetics are enhanced is investigated in detail, where the unique 2D nanosheet architectures and Fe incorporation play a significant role. This hassle-free approach reported here contributes to an inexpensive and convenient access to the fabrication of effective nanocatalysts that can preclude harsh synthetic conditions such as high temperature and high pressure.