resultingcatalyst, whichdisplayedcubic crystallineNiandNiOnanoparticles,was thoroThe development of effective bifunctional electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution (OER) reactions is crucial for advancing electrochemical technologies.However, thehighcost and scarcityof noblemetals present a significant challenge for thewidespreadapplicationof these reactions.To address this,wesynthesizedanovelNi andNiOnanocompositeonnitrogen-doped carbonfoam(Ni andNiO/N-CF)viaasingle-steppyrolysisofurea, glucose, anda nickel salt inNaCl salt as a templet. Theughlycharacterizedusingavarietyof physical and chemical methods. The Ni andNiO/N-CF catalyst demonstrates promisingOERperformance,withanoverpotential of300mV(at10mAcm−2), a Tafel slopeof86.2mVdec−1, andanelectrochemical activesurfaceareaof∼45cm2 g−1,maintainingactivityforover60h.ThecatalystisalsoeffectiveforORR,exhibiting ahalf-wavepotentialof0.78VvsRHEandaTafelslopeof80mVdec−1inKOH.The bifunctionaloverpotentialof theNiandNiO/N-CFcompositehasaminimalpotentialdifference(ΔE)of820mV,comparableto thatofbenchmarkcatalysts(10%Pt/CforORRandIrO2 forOER, combined:680mV), highlighting itspotential for zinc-air practical applications.
