Enhance the Proportion of Fe³⁺ in NiFe‐Layered Double Hydroxides by utilizing Citric Acid to Improve the Efficiency and Durability of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

NiFe-layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDH) are a type of catalyst known for their exceptional catalytic performance during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this study, citric acid was incorporated into the synthesis process of NiFe-LDH, resulting in the NiFe-LDH-CA catalyst with superior OER performance. The catalytic efficacy was evaluated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), which demonstrated a significant reduction in the overpotential for OER from 320 mV to 240 mV at a current density of 100 mA cm^-2. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) indicate that the distribution of nickel valence states showed no significant difference between two samples. However, the NiFe-LDH-CA exhibits a markedly higher proportion of Fe³⁺ ions in its iron content. In-situ Raman spectroscopes reveal that Fe³⁺ broadens the redox potential of nickel and Pourbaix diagrams indicate that higher Fe³⁺ levels could facilitate the interaction with oxygen active sites. Based on the analysis of test data, we propose a hypothesis that the high proportion of Fe³⁺ in catalysts may accelerate the oxygen evolution process by modulating the redox potential of nickel and engaging with reactive oxygen species. This provides valuable insights into how to improve the reaction rate of nickel-based catalysts.