Rational construction and design of bimetallic Co-Ni species by pulsed laser irradiation for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

•The laser preparation strategy is beneficial due to precise control, fast fabrication and fine-tuned nanostructure.•Optimal CoNi OER catalysts can be achieved by modulating the synthesis condition and laser parameters.•The parameters of pulsed laser and metal ratio were controlled to improve the electrocatalytic performance. Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process is a four-electron transfer system that stuck with sluggish reaction kinetics. To break the limitation of dynamics, the developing of transition metal-based catalysts with high activity and good stability is attractive for realizing efficient OER. In this regard, transition metal-based bimetallic Co-Ni species that loaded on carbon cloth has been prepared by pulse laser fabrication method and applied as OER catalysts. With the assistance of carbon substrate, the rational constructed structure and controlled Co-Ni components can be further achieved by adjusting the laser pulse and adjusting the mole ratio of Co/Ni from 0 to 2. The optimal OER performance has been discovered by the Co-Ni species (Co/Ni 1:2) that prepared under 3000 pulses (0.218 W cm−2), while 50 mA cm−2 current density can be accomplished at low overpotential of 0.42 V vs. RHE in 1 M KOH electrolyte. The enhanced OER performance of Co-Ni species can be attributed to the greatly reduced particle size and increased active sites that formed in 3000 pulses. Importantly, the electrocatalyst displayed a remarkable stability that operated at 10 mA cm−2 for about 10 h without significant decay. In this study, we discovered Ni-Co species loaded on carbon cloth for electrocatalytic OER application. The successful preparation of Ni-Co species by pulse laser fabrication strategy paves the way for the large-scale fabrication of transition metal-based catalysts with high efficiency and stability.