Catalytic conversion of solar energy into energy vectors is prospected to play a key role in the decarbonization of future societies. The process consists in the use of an intermittent renewable energy source to catalytically synthetize added-value molecules, which can later be used as fuels. Thus, rendering the stored renewable energy available on all occasion and available on demand. The large availability and high gravimetric energy density of hydrogen make it a promising molecule to be used as a chemical storage of renewable energy. Indeed, hydrogen can be obtained as the product of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER), taking place at the cathode of a water splitting electrochemical cell. Hydrogen production is not the only energy-relevant electrochemical cathodic process that can be exploited in the optic of carbon emissions: CO₂ can also be reduced into e-fuels or added value chemicals through a series of cathodic reactions (CO2RR). At the present technological state, the main bottleneck that hinders a faster electrochemical production of some of the mentioned energy vectors is the slow kinetics of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER). This reaction takes place on the anode of an electrochemical cell and provides the electrons required by HER or CO2RR.

Ni and Ni-functionalized materials have been showing good results as catalysts for OER [1,2], acting to increase the kinetics of the anodic processes. The Ni nanostructures presented in this work are produced via the organometallic approach [3]. This synthetic method consists in the decomposition of an organometallic precursor of the metal under mild reducing conditions and in the presence of a stabilizing agent (i.e., a ligand). This synthetic approach allows great control on the surface properties of the final product as well as facilitating the functionalization and the characterization of the produced catalyst (since it avoids the presence of possible contaminants). This communication will center on the synthesis, characterization, and testing of a family of nanostructured Ni catalysts for OER. The advantages provided by the unique synthetic method, yielding fast and durable systems, will be related to the catalyst morphology and surface-functionalization [4]. Moreover, some of the reported structures are expected to act as catalysts also for CO2RR [5]. If proved, this might open the way to the use of just a single catalyst in both compartments of an electrochemical cell for e-fuels production.