Mixed Ni-Fe metal oxides currently represent some of the most attractive anode catalysts for the electrochemical splitting of water due to their low overpotentials for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolytes. The concentrated potassium hydroxide solutions and anion exchange membranes that are typically employed in alkaline water electrolyzers, however, are prone to carbonation which can lead to significant shifts in the electrolyte pH from alkaline to quasi-neutral conditions (pH = 7-10). So far a fundamental understanding of how changes in the local pH environment induced via carbonation affect the catalyst electronic and surface structure, and ultimately the catalyst stability and electrochemical OER activity, is lacking. The importance of understanding this behavior is further highlighted by the potential application of Ni-Fe oxides as anode catalysts in co-electrolysis, where the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ and the anodic evolution of oxygen occur in a carbonated, quasi-neutral pH environment.

Here we demonstrate a practical and scalable flame-spray pyrolysis synthesis capable of producing highly crystalline Ni-Fe oxide (Ni_1-xFe_xO_y) nanoparticles with high surface areas (SA_BET ≈ 20 - 75 m²/g). The research presented herein focuses on expanding the current understanding of the influence of the local electronic and surface structures on the OER activity and electrochemical stability in both alkaline (pH = 13) and carbonated, quasi-neutral (pH = 9) electrolyte. The resulting operando XANES and EXAFS analyses of the Ni and Fe K-edges permit useful insight into the nature of the valence states and rearrangements in local structure that occur under operating conditions representative of alkaline water electrolysis and co-electrolysis. Combined with a broad range of ex situ physical characterization techniques, we then relate the structural, electronic, and morphological changes to the observed electrochemical OER activity and stability.