Mapping the performance of amorphous ternary metal oxide water oxidation catalysts containing aluminium

An extensive series of ternary amorphous catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction are synthesized by a facile photochemical metal-organic deposition method. The electrocatalytic activity of catalyst films containing aluminium with a combination of iron{,} nickel{,} and/or cobalt are mapped out to determine how composition affects reactivity in these novel ternary amorphous metal-oxide oxygen-evolving catalysts. An important outcome of this work is the finding that the Al/Fe/Ni series of materials delivered strikingly low Tafel slopes of 11-27 mV dec-1{,} which are among the lowest values reported to date.