We
used a liquid phase reaction to synthesize a nickel (Ni) and
iron (Fe)-containing layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH), having a
lateral size less than 10 nm. A chelating agent introduced into the
media was thought to increase the concentration of metal hydroxide
nuclei and suppress excessive growth of the LDH crystal, resulting
in the synthesis of nanometer-sized LDH. The NiFe-LDH catalyzed the
oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at an overpotential of 247 mV and
current of 10 mA cm–2, which is superior to the
performance of conventional iridium oxide (IrO
x
) catalysts. Notably, a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for
anion exchange membrane water electrolysis using NiFe-LDH as an anode
catalyst exhibited an energy conversion efficiency of 74.7% for flowing
1.0 A cm–2 in 1 M KOH at 80 °C. This efficiency
is the highest among MEAs implemented with non-noble metal-based catalysts
reported to date and offers a viable replacement for IrO
x
anode catalysts.
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