Nickel hydroxide enhanced nickel selenides for oxygen evolution reaction

Original scientific paper

Authors

  • Francisco J. García-Partida Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, FCQ, Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología y Nanotecnología, CIBYN, PIIT, Apodaca, Nuevo León, C.P, 66628, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3741-2848
  • Ricardo Briones-Martínez Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Av. Universidad S/N Ciudad Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L, 66451, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8514-8535
  • Eduardo M. Sánchez Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Av. Universidad S/N Ciudad Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L, 66451, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1255-0248
  • Salomé M. de la Parra Arciniega Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Av. Universidad S/N Ciudad Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, N.L, 66451, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4232-2297
  • Rodrigo Mayen-Mondragon UNITA, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Vía de la Innovación 410, PIIT-Monterrey Autopista Monterrey km 10, Apodaca 66628, Nuevo León, Mexico. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5203-825X
  • Nora A. Garcia-Gomez Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, FCQ, Centro de Investigación en Biotecnología y Nanotecnología, CIBYN, PIIT, Apodaca, Nuevo León, C.P, 66628, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0279-4436

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5599/jese.3163

Keywords:

Alkaline water splitting, electrocatalyst, heterostructured interfaces, transition metal chalcogenides

Abstract

Transition to sustainable energy systems relies on the development of efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production technologies. A major challenge in this field is designing high-performance electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant, low-cost materials. In this work, three nickel selenide phases, NiSe₂, NiSe, and Ni₃Se₂, along with their corresponding Ni(OH)₂-modified heterostructures, were synthesized on nickel foam and systematically evaluated as oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts in alkaline media. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed that the incorporation of Ni(OH)₂ profoundly influenced nucleation pathways and pro­moted more homogeneous active-phase distribution across the three-dimensional substrate. Electrochemical characterization demonstrated that all Ni(OH)₂-modified electrodes exhibited enhanced catalytic performance compared to their unmodified counterparts. Among them, NiSe-OH supported on nickel foam, referred to as NiSe-OH/NF, achieved the lowest overpotential of 177 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and displayed favourable reaction kinetics, as reflected by its Tafel slope. The improved activity was attributed to synergistic interactions between Ni and Se, the activation of the Ni(OH)₂/NiOOH redox couple, and optimized charge-transfer pathways facilitated by the heterostructured interface. Long-term stability tests confirmed that the hybrid catalysts maintained over 86 % of their maximum current density after extended operation. These results establish Ni-Se/Ni(OH)₂ heterostructures as promising, earth-abundant materials for efficient alkaline OER and offer new insights into interface engineering for next-generation electrocatalyst design.

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Published

07-03-2026

Issue

Vol. 16 (2026)

Section

Electrocatalysis

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Copyright (c) 2026 Francisco J. García-Partida, Ricardo Briones-Martínez , Eduardo M. Sánchez, Salomé M. de la Parra Arciniega, Rodrigo Mayen-Mondragon, Nora A. Garcia-Gomez

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How to Cite

Nickel hydroxide enhanced nickel selenides for oxygen evolution reaction: Original scientific paper. (2026). Journal of Electrochemical Science and Engineering, 16, Article 3163. https://doi.org/10.5599/jese.3163