In Situ Growth of Highly Wrinkled 3D Volcano-like Fe3S4/Ni3S2/WO3/NiFe LDH/NF Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting

The rational design of efficient, cost-effective, and durable electrocatalysts is crucial for the realization of hydrogen production through water splitting. The present study describes the synthesis of a novel three-dimensional (3D) volcano-like Fe3S4/Ni3S2/WO3/NiFe LDH/NF (Layered Double Hydroxides/Nickel Foam) electrocatalyst with a highly wrinkled structure through a two-step hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized electrocatalyst exhibits an exceptionally low overpotential of 77mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 131mV for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at a current density of 10mAcm-2, owing to the unique morphology and strong electronic interactions between Fe3S4, Ni3S2 and WO3 heterostructures. The Fe3S4/Ni3S2/WO3/NiFe LDH/NF electrocatalyst demonstrates exceptional performance in overall water splitting when employed as both anode and cathode, achieving a current density of 10mAcm−2 at an impressively low cell voltage of 1.5V as well as exhibiting remarkable durability with little degradation over a period of 12hours. This study presents a straightforward approach for the synthesis of highly efficient and durable non-noble metal catalysts for overall water splitting under hydrothermal conditions.