NiO/C enhanced by noble metal (Pt, Pd, Au) as high-efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction in water oxidation to obtain high purity hydrogen

Carbon black is used as conducting support for NiO nanoparticles, and noble metal particles are well dispersed on NiO/C with an average diameter of 4–8 nm. Benefiting synergistic effect, NiO/C by adding noble metal exhibits superior electrochemical activity and excellent stability for oxygen evolution reaction in water splitting. A catalyst with a weight ratio of Au to NiO of 1:2 gives the best performance. Onset potential on the Au-NiO(wt 1:2)/C electrode shifts more negatively than that on Pt-NiO(wt 1:2)/C and Pd-NiO(wt 1:2)/C, and onset potential on the Au-NiO(wt 1:2)/C electrode is lower than that on the other electrodes.