ONE-POT SYNTHESIS OF EU-DOPED NI-FE LDH AND ENHANCED ELECTROCATALYTIC OXYGEN EVOLUTION PERFORMANCE

Hydrogen production via water electrolysis is critical for addressing energy and environmental challenges, but the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) requires efficient, stable, and low-cost electrocatalysts. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) show promise for OER but suffer from insufficient active site utilization and conductivity. Herein, seven rare earth ions (La, Ce, Eu, etc.)-doped nickel-iron layered double hydroxide (Ni-Fe) LDH nanomaterials were fabricated via a one-pot co-precipitation method. Characterizations (X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electrochemical tests) demonstrated successful rare earth doping without damaging the LDH layered structure, with Eu-Ni-Fe LDH exhibiting optimal catalytic performance. Specifically, 15% Eu-doped NiFe LDH achieved an overpotential of 196.8 mV at 10 mA·cm⁻² in 1.0 mol/L KOH, a Tafel slope of 134.63 mV·dec⁻¹, a double-layer capacitance (C_dl) of 12.94 mF·cm⁻², and excellent stability over 50 h. This study provides a novel strategy for modifying LDH-based OER catalysts and expands their renewable energy application potential.