From One-Pot to Powerhouse:\nAl–Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Thin Films Coupled with Hexagonal\nZnFe LDH for Water\nOxidation in Alkaline Environment

As COVID-19 profoundly affected nations worldwide, there\nwas a\nsignificant reduction in gas and electricity consumption, contrasting\nwith the surplus production of oil and gas by companies. This situation\nhas ignited a growing interest in researching alternative green fuels.\nElectrochemical water-splitting has emerged as a promising avenue\nfor advancing the green hydrogen economy. However, the high costs\nassociated with traditional catalysts have hindered the feasibility\nof this remarkable method on an industrial scale. Here, this study\nmainly objects to fabricating an efficient, low cost and stable oxygen\nevolution reaction (OER) catalyst and our focus has been on refining\nthe morphology to enhance activity levels. The optimized one-pot synthesized\n15% Al-doped Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>/ZnFe LDH electrode exhibited\na mere 230 mV overpotential to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> with the appreciable Tafel slope of 77 mV/dec, <i>R</i><sub>ct</sub> and <i>C</i><sub>dl</sub> values. Theoretical\ninvestigations were undertaken to elucidate why the 15% doping concentration\nserves as a critical threshold limit. Both experimental and theoretical\ninvestigations delve into qualitatively accessing activity and durability\nalong with the examination of the electronic, morphological, and magnetic\nproperties of the material.