Fe(TCNQ)₂ Nanorod Array: A Conductive Non-Noble-Metal Electrocatalyst toward Water Oxidation in Alkaline Media

It is extremely desired to develop cost-effective and high-efficient water oxidation electrocatalysts in alkaline electrolytes. In this Letter, we report the topotactic conversion of Cu­(tetracyanoquinodimethane) nanoarray, denoted as Cu­(TCNQ), into Fe­(TCNQ)₂ nanoarray via low-temperature cationic exchange. As a 3D electrode, such Fe­(TCNQ)₂ possesses superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance needing overpotentials as low as 321 and 353 mV to afford 20 and 50 mA cm^–2 in 1.0 M KOH, respectively. Remarkably enough, such a catalyst shows good durability in the long term electrochemical process with its catalytic activity being retained for 25 h at lowest. This work demonstrates that Fe­(TCNQ)₂ nanoarray may open up new possibilities for OER application

Ni(OH)₂ Nanoparticles Embedded in Conductive Microrod Array: An Efficient and Durable Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction

It is extremely important to develop earth-abundant and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with excellent performance in alkaline media. In this work, we describe the in situ electrochemical conversion of microrod array of Ni­(tetracyano­quinodimethane)₂, Ni­(TCNQ)₂, into Ni­(OH)₂ nanoparticles embedded in a conductive TCNQ microrod array via anode oxidation. Such Ni­(OH)₂-TCNQ microarray shows OER activity needing overpotentials of 322 and 354 mV to attain current densities of 50 and 100 mA cm^–2 in 1.0 M KOH, respectively. It is also extremely durable with its electrocatalytic performance being kept for at least 20 h. This work points out a stimulating approach to explore the utilization of TCNQ array as a conductive matrix for electrochemical applications