TY - JOUR A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar A1 - Radnik, Jörg A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - John, Elisabeth T1 - Probing Surface Changes in Fe–Ni Oxide Nanocatalysts with a ToF-SIMS-Coupled Electrochemistry Setup and Principal Component Analysis N2 - Understanding catalyst surface dynamics under operating conditions is essential for improving electrocatalytic performance. Here, we present a novel approach combining electrochemical treatment with contamination-free transfer to Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), followed by principal component analysis (PCA), to probe surface and interfacial changes in Ni–Fe oxide nanoparticles stabilized by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The surface analysis at three distinct treatment stages revealed distinct chemical fingerprints across pristine nanoparticles, after exposure to 1 M KOH electrolyte, and after cyclic voltammetry treatment. The results highlight a progressive transition from ligand-rich to ligand-depleted interfaces, with PVP-related fragments dominant in the early stages and metal- and electrolyte-derived species emerging after activation. Complementary ToF-SIMS analysis of electrolyte deposited on Si wafers after each treatment step confirms the concurrent leaching of PVP and Fe–Ni-based fragments during OER. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of catalyst–electrolyte interfaces and demonstrate a robust strategy for monitoring surface-sensitive chemical changes associated with the nanoparticles, especially during the initial cycles of the OER. KW - Fe-Ni oxide KW - Nanocatalysts KW - ToF-SIMS KW - Electrochemistry KW - PCA (principal component analysis) KW - OER PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-652667 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.5c03894 SN - 0003-2700 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - American Chemical Society (ACS) AN - OPUS4-65266 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Sahre, Mario A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Radnik, Jörg T1 - CV, TEM, XRD and XPS/HAXPES datasets of FeNi-based nanoparticles for the oxygen evolution reaction N2 - The datasets from Cyclic Voltammetry, Transmision Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and (Hard Energy) X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy are related to the publication H. Habibimarkani, S.-L. Abram, A. Guilherme Buzanich, C. Prinz, M. Sahre, V.-D. Hodoroaba and J. Radnik "In-depth analysis of FeNi-based nanoparticles for the oxygen evolution reaction" Scientific Reports (2025), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92720-3 Details of the materials and the experimental procedures are described in this publications. KW - Oxygen evolution reaction KW - Fe-Ni nanopartices KW - Comprehensive analysis PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14975964 PB - Zenodo CY - Geneva AN - OPUS4-63335 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar A1 - Abram, Sarah-Luise A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Sahre, Mario A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Radnik, Jörg T1 - In-depth analysis of FeNi-based nanoparticles for the oxygen evolution reaction N2 - This study investigates the effect of varying iron-to-nickel ratios on the catalytic performance of Fe-Ni oxide nanoparticles (NPs) for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Addressing the issue of high energy wastage due to large overpotentials in OER, we synthesized and characterized different NP catalysts with different Fe: Ni oxide ratios. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) were employed to determine the morphology, elemental and phase composition of the NPs. Furthermore, in-depth profiling with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HAXPES) revealed that iron predominantly exists as oxide, while nickel exhibits both metallic and oxidic forms depending on the Fe content. XPS indicated an enrichment of iron at the NP surface, whereas HAXPES and EDS data agreed on the bulk stoichiometry. The assessment of the catalytic activity via cyclic voltammetry (CV) showed that the Fe: Ni ratio of 2:3 exhibited superior performance, characterized by lower overpotential and a smaller Tafel slope. KW - Fe-Ni oxide KW - Nanoparticles KW - OER KW - Catalytic performance KW - Cyclic voltammetry PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-626932 UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-92720-3 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92720-3 VL - 15 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-62693 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar T1 - Comparative chemical analysis of Ni-Fe oxide nanoparticles N2 - Ni-Fe oxide nanoparticles have gained a lot of interest because of their high activity in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) which is crucial for water splitting. [1] Although there have been great efforts in the last years, the understanding of the synergistic effect between Fe and Ni is still under discussion. Therefore, we prepared different Ni-Fe oxide nanoparticles with different compositions from pure iron oxide to pure nickel oxide adapting a known procedure. [2,3] Size and morphology of the nanoparticles depend on the composition which was shown with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The compositions of the nanoparticles were measured with a comparative approach using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HAXPES), and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) coupled with the TEM providing detailed chemical information of the nanoparticles in different sample regions. EDS reveals that the different sample regions are dominated by one of the components, Fe or Ni, but a slight mixing between the components can be found (see Figure 1), which was confirmed with X-ray Diffraction (XRD). XPS indicates the enrichment of Fe at the sample surface, while HAXPES and EDS data agree on the stoichiometry of the bulk. High-resolution XPS and HAXPES exhibit some differences in the valence states of Fe and Ni, whereas Ni seems to be easier to reduce than Fe. Further investigations combining these different techniques and additionally Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) are ongoing by using in situ approaches and coupling cyclic voltammetry to the analytical techniques T2 - SALSA Make and Measure 2024: Interfaces CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.09.2024 KW - (Hard) X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy KW - Oxygen evolution reaction KW - Synergistic effects KW - TEM PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-62346 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar T1 - Complementary Characterization of FeNi-Oxide Nanoparticles as Catalysts for Water Electrolysis combining Electron Microscopy, EDS, XRD, ToF-SIMS and Electrochemical Analysis N2 - Electrocatalysis is and will continue to play a central role in the development of a new and modern sustainable economy, especially for chemicals and fuels. The storage of excess electrical energy into chemical energy by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is a feasible solution in this economic sector. A major drawback of electrical energy lies in the storage. Therefore, hydrogen is discussed as promising alternative. Fortunately, this issue can be effectively addressed through the implementation of chemical storage mechanisms. Due to their abundance on Earth and inherent stability in alkaline solutions, transition-metal oxides have become one of several viable alternatives to conventional noble-metal catalysts. Since FeNi oxide is one of the most active oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis, it has been the subject of extensive research. A series of different types of FeNi oxide nanoparticles (NPs) with atomic ratios covering a broad range, and various sizes with specific stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric iron and nickel ratios was synthesized and characterized by the combination of surface analysis techniques, such as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed the coexistence of mixed and unmixed iron and nickel NPs with comparable sizes in the range of 30–40 nm across all ratios. The synthesis technique displayed control over the iron-nickel ratio, as evidenced by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data. The presence of magnetite (Fe3O4) was detected in all samples investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, the existence of nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) was shown in the Fe2Ni by XRD analysis. For the cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements, the NPs were deposited onto glassy carbon electrodes using Nafion® as an ionomer, and 1 M KOH was employed as the electrolyte. Subsequently, the NPs/Nafion® electrode was transferred into the ToF-SIMS chamber to allow surface analysis and depth profiling. The ToF-SIMS analysis revealed distinct peaks corresponding to Fe, Ni, and other peaks associated with Nafion®, whereas a straightforward correlation between the Ni.Fe ratio and the SIMS peak pattern is not possible. The catalytic activity towards OER was evaluated through CV measurements, where the Fe2Ni3 ratio exhibited the most favorable performance, displaying a lower overpotential. T2 - SIMS Europe 2023 CY - Nottingham, England DA - 02.09.2023 KW - FeNi-Oxide NPs KW - ToF-SIMS KW - Catalysts KW - OER PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-59143 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar T1 - Investigating the Synergistic Effects of FeNi-Oxide Nanoparticles as Water Electrolysis Catalysts: A Multi-Technique Characterization Approach N2 - Electrocatalysis is and will continue to play a central role in the development of a new and modern sustainable economy, especially for chemicals and fuels. The storage of excess electrical energy into chemical energy by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is a feasible solution in this economic sector. A major drawback of electrical energy lies in the storage. Therefore, hydrogen is discussed as promising alternative. Fortunately, this issue can be effectively addressed through the implementation of chemical storage mechanisms. Due to their abundance on Earth and inherent stability in alkaline solutions, transition-metal oxides have become one of several viable alternatives to conventional noble-metal catalysts. Since FeNi oxide is one of the most active oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis, it has been the subject of extensive research. A series of different types of FeNi oxide nanoparticles (NPs) with atomic ratios covering a broad range, and various sizes with specific stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric iron and nickel ratios was synthesized and characterized by the combination of surface analysis techniques, such as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed the coexistence of mixed and unmixed iron and nickel NPs with comparable sizes in the range of 30–40 nm across all ratios. The synthesis technique displayed control over the iron-nickel ratio, as evidenced by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) data. The presence of magnetite (Fe3O4) was detected in all samples investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Furthermore, the existence of nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) was shown in the Fe2Ni by XRD analysis. For the cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements, the NPs were deposited onto glassy carbon electrodes using Nafion® as an ionomer, and 1 M KOH was employed as the electrolyte. Subsequently, the NPs/Nafion® electrode was transferred into the ToF-SIMS chamber to allow surface analysis and depth profiling. The ToF-SIMS analysis revealed distinct peaks corresponding to Fe, Ni, and other peaks associated with Nafion®, whereas a straightforward correlation between the Ni.Fe ratio and the SIMS peak pattern is not possible. The catalytic activity towards OER was evaluated through CV measurements, where the Fe2Ni3 ratio exhibited the most favorable performance, displaying a lower overpotential. T2 - European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) Fall 2023 CY - Warsaw, Poland DA - 18.09.2023 KW - FeNi-Oxide NPs KW - ToF-SIMS KW - Catalysts KW - OER PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-59139 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Habibimarkani, Heydar T1 - Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) for in situ investigation on FeNi nanoparticles N2 - The modern economy is dependent on catalysis, which is main efforts to create environmentally and energy-friendly technologies. The storage of excess electrical energy into chemical energy by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is a feasible solution to this energy demand. Due to their abundance on Earth and inherent stability in alkaline solution, transition-metal oxides have become one of several viable alternatives to noble-metal catalysts. Since NiFe oxide is one of the most active oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis, it has been the subject of extensive research. In this work, NiFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) of various sizes, specific stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric Fe:Ni surface ratios are synthesized. we will use a combination of ultra-high vacuum surface analysis techniques, such as time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), to obtain the detailed characterization of the OER electrocatalysts top-surface layer, which is required to identify the rate-limiting step intermediates, and surface morphological changes at the electrolyte/catalyst. T2 - SALSA Make&Measure 2022 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 15.09.2022 KW - ToF-SIMS KW - FeNi nanoparticles PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56157 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -