Temperature-modulated molten salt synthesis of FeNi alloy/carbon electrocatalyst for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction

Abstract In this study, FeNi alloy/carbon composites were synthesized using the LiCl–KCl molten-salt-assisted method at different temperatures. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that FeNi/carbon synthesized at 1,000 °C exhibits the best oxygen evolution reaction performance, with an overpotential of 306.7 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and excellent long-term stability over 100 h. A series of characterizations reveals that the improved activity is attributed to the synergistic effects of the conductive and porous carbon framework, the well-grown FeNi alloy nanoparticles, and optimized surface electronic states that derive from the increasing calcination temperature.