Construction of MnFe layer double hydroxide on biomass-derived carbon heterostructure for efficient electrocatalytic water splitting

In recent years, designing effective and stable non-metal electrocatalysts for water-splitting has received considerable attention. In this study, a bio-derived carbon/MnFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) (MnFe–C) catalyst was synthesized by pyrolysis process followed by a hydrothermal method. The MnFe–C electrocatalyst showed outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities in 1 M KOH, with overpotentials of 120 and 280 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and smaller Tafel values of 86 and 92 mV dec⁻¹, respectively. Furthermore, the MnFe–C electrocatalyst exhibited robust stability (50 h) for both the HER and OER in an alkaline medium. This remarkable water-splitting performance is ascribed owing to the synergistic effects of the heterostructure formation of MnFe-LDH and the bio-carbon. In addition, the electrocatalyst exhibited better electrical conductivity, faster electron transfer, and more surface-active sites, which collectively enhanced the overall electrocatalytic performance. Therefore, this study offers a dynamic approach to the development of efficient multifunctional electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolyzers.