Photocatalytic and Cathode Active Abilities of Ni-Substituted α-FeOOH Nanoparticles.

The present study investigates the relationship between the local structure, photocatalytic ability, and cathode performances in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using Ni-substituted goethite nanoparticles (Ni x Fe 1-x OOH NPs) with a range of 'x' values from 0 to 0.5. The structural characterization was performed applying various techniques, including X-ray diffractometry (XRD); thermogravimetry differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA); Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR); X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES/EXAFS), both measured at room temperature (RT); 57 Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy recorded at RT and low temperatures (LT) from 20 K to 300 K; Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurement (BET), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). In addition, the electrical properties of Ni x Fe 1-x OOH NPs were evaluated by solid-state impedance spectroscopy (SS-IS). XRD showed the presence of goethite as the only crystalline phase in prepared samples with x ≤ 0.20, and goethite and α-Ni(OH) 2 in the samples with x > 0.20. The sample with x = 0.10 (Ni10) showed the highest photo-Fenton ability with a first-order rate constant value ( k ) of 15.8 × 10 -3 min -1 . The 57 Fe Mössbauer spectrum of Ni0, measured at RT, displayed a sextet corresponding to goethite, with an isomer shift ( δ ) of 0.36 mm s -1 and a hyperfine magnetic distribution ( B hf ) of 32.95 T. Moreover, the DC conductivity decreased from 5.52 × 10 -10 to 5.30 × 10 -12 (Ω cm) -1 with 'x' increasing from 0.10 to 0.50. Ni20 showed the highest initial discharge capacity of 223 mAh g -1 , attributed to its largest specific surface area of 174.0 m 2 g -1 . In conclusion, Ni x Fe 1-x OOH NPs can be effectively utilized as visible-light-activated catalysts and active cathode materials in secondary batteries.