Ni3S2-MoSx nanorods grown on Ni foam as high-efficient electrocatalysts for overall water splitting

In order to solve the problem of large overpotential in water electrolysis for hydrogen production, transition metal sulfides are promising bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction/oxygen evolution reaction that can significantly reduce overpotential. In this work, Ni₃S₂ and amorphous MoS_x nanorods directly grown on Ni foam (Ni₃S₂-MoS_x/NF) were prepared via one-step solvothermal process, which were used as a high-efficient electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. The Ni₃S₂-MoS_x/NF composite exhibits very low overpotentials of 65 and 312 mV to reach 10 mA cm⁻² and 50 mA cm⁻² in 1.0 M KOH for HER and OER, respectively. Besides, it exhibits a low Tafel slope (81 mV dec⁻¹ for HER, 103 mV dec⁻¹ for OER), high exchange current density (1.51 mA cm⁻² for HER, 0.26 mA cm⁻² for OER), and remarkable long-term cycle stability. This work provides new perspective for further the development of highly effective non-noble-metal materials in the energy field.     

Structure-design and synthesis of nickel-cobalt oxide/sulfide/phosphide composite nanowire arrays for efficient overall water splitting

The construction of cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalysts with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is significant for efficient overall water splitting. Herein, this work demonstrates a novel strategy for the synthesis of nickel-cobalt oxides/sulfides/phosphides composite (denoted as NiCoO–2P/S) nanoarrays on Ni foam. In this method, Ni–Co bimetallic oxide nanowires on Ni foam were partially phosphorized and sulfurized simultaneously in situ to yield Ni–Co oxide/sulfide/phosphide composite. The NiCoO–2P/S arrays have good interfacial effects and display many holes in the nanowires, giving it the advantage of large accessible surfaces on the nanowires and a beneficial for the release of gas bubbles, resulting in an excellent OER performance with a low overpotential (η) of 254 mV at 100 mA cm^?2 and good HER activity (η₁₀ = 143 mV at 10 mA cm^?2). The electrocatalytic test results demonstrate small Tafel slopes (82 mV dec^?1 for HER, 88 mV dec^?1 for OER) and the satisfying durability in an alkaline electrolyte, indicating that the HER and OER activity was enhanced by the introduction of the Ni/Co sulfides and phosphides into Ni–Co oxides composite nanowires. Furthermore, the as-prepared NiCoO–2P/S catalyst can be used as both the anode and the cathode simultaneously to realize overall water splitting in the two-electrode electrolyzer. This system can be driven at low cell voltages of 1.50 and 1.68 V to achieve current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm^?2, respectively. This work provides an alternative strategy to prepare high-performance bifunctional electrochemical materials and demonstrates the advantages of Ni–Co oxide/sulfide/phosphide composites for water splitting.     

Autologous growth of Fe-doped Ni(OH)2 nanosheets with low overpotential for oxygen evolution reaction

Highly active and durable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) play a vital role in water splitting. Despite numerous efforts, the strategies to prepare durable and effective electrocatalysts via scalable methods still remain a great challenge. In this work, we fabricated Fe-doped Ni(OH)₂ ultrathin nanosheets (Fe–Ni–OH/Ni) via autologous growing of Ni(OH)₂ from Ni foam, and in situ electrochemical-assisted doping Fe into Ni(OH)₂. Benefiting from the unique structure with large surface areas and strong coupling effects between Fe and Ni, the optimal Fe–Ni–OH electrodes exhibit remarkable catalytic performance toward OER, which requires an overpotential of 220 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² with a Tafel slope of 48.3 mV dec⁻¹. The Fe–Ni–OH electrodes also possess high stability even under a high current density of 500 mA cm⁻² for 600 h with an ultralow overpotential of 290 mV. Using Ni–Fe–OH electrodes as both anode and cathode for overall water splitting, only a small overpotential of 1.57 V is required to reach a current density of 10 mA cm⁻². Moreover, the high catalytic performance and scalable preparation method can meet the emergency needs for the practical application.     

High throughput preparation of Ni–Mo alloy thin films as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting

The synthesis of cost-effective and high-performance electrocatalysts for water splitting is the main challenge in electrochemical hydrogen production. In this study, we adopted a high throughput method to prepare bi-metallic catalysts for oxygen/hydrogen evolution reactions (OER/HER). A series of Ni–Mo alloy electrocatalysts with tunable compositions were prepared by a simple co-sputtering method. Due to the synergistic effect between Ni and Mo, the intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of the Ni–Mo alloy electrocatalysts is improved, resulting in excellent HER and OER performances. The Ni₉₀Mo₁₀ electrocatalyst shows the best HER performance, with an extremely low overpotential of 58 mV at 10 mA cm^?2, while the Ni₄₀Mo₆₀ electrocatalyst shows an overpotential of 258 mV at 10 mA cm^?2 in OER. More significantly, the assembled Ni₄₀Mo₆₀//Ni₉₀Mo₁₀ electrolyzer only needs a cell voltage of 1.57 V to reach 10 mA cm^?2 for overall water splitting.     

Enriched oxygen vacancy promoted heteroatoms (B,P, N,and S) doped CeO2: Challenging electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline medium

Increasing worldwide energy consumption has prompted considerable study into energy generation and energy storage systems in recent years. Chemical fuels may be produced efficiently via electrocatalytic water splitting, which uses electric and solar power. The development of efficient anodic electrocatalysts for efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a greater concern of present energy research. Cerium oxide (CeO₂) are promising electrocatalysts that exhibit outstanding OER but their reduced stability obstructs the practical application. A novel strategy was established to construct an effective catalyst of heteroatom (N, B, P and S) doped CeO₂ matrix were prepared. Moreover, the doping of heteroatoms into the CeO₂ matrix processes the improved electronic conductivity, reactive sites, increases the electrochemical catalytic activity, which enhances the water oxidation reaction. Consequently, well-suited alkaline electrolysers were brought together for water oxidation to ideal OER electrocatalytic activity. The OER activity of the electrocatalysts follows the order of S–CeO₂ (190 mV@10 mA cm⁻²), N– CeO₂ (220 mV @10 mA cm⁻²), P– CeO₂ (230 mV @10 mA cm⁻²), B–CeO₂ (250 mV @10 mA cm⁻²) and CeO₂ (260 mV @10 mA cm⁻²) in 1 M of KOH. From the kinetics analysis, Tafel slope value achieved for catalysts CeO₂, B–CeO_2, P–CeO₂, N–CeO₂ and S–CeO₂ are 142 mV dec⁻¹,121 mV dec⁻¹, 102 mV dec⁻¹, 98 mV dec⁻¹ and 83 mV dec⁻¹ respectively. These results validate that the S–CeO₂ electrode is prominent for OER performance with the requirement of cell voltage of 1.42 V at 10 mA cm⁻² current density. In addition, sulphur doped CeO₂ relatively have excellent stability through chrono-potentiometric analysis lasting for 20 h. Although the heteroatoms doped CeO₂ is acts as anode material, the preparation method is widespread, which will reduce the synthesis cost and streamline the preparation of electrode for OER. This research effort delivers a complete advantage for the development of robust, environmentally friendly and highly dynamic electrocatalysts for OER activity.     

Autogenous growth of highly active bifunctional Ni–Fe2B nanosheet arrays toward efficient overall water splitting

Developing an effective and low-cost bifunctional electrocatalyst for both OER and HER to achieve overall water splitting is remaining a challenge to meet the needs of sustainable development. Herein, an electroless plating method was employed to autogenous growth of ultrathin Ni–Fe₂B nanosheet arrays on nickel foam (NF), in which the whole liquid phase reduction reaction took no more than 20 min and did not require any other treatments such as calcination. In 1.0 M KOH electrolyte, the resulted Ni–Fe₂B ultrathin nanosheet displayed a low overpotential of 250 mV for OER and 115 mV for HER to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, and both OER and HER activities remained stable after 26 h stability testing. Further, the couple electrodes composed of Ni–Fe₂B could afford a current density of 10 mA cm^?2 towards overall water splitting at a cell voltage of 1.64 V in 1.0 M KOH and along with excellent stability for 26 h. The outstanding electrocatalytic activities can be attributed to the synergistic effect of electron-coupling across Ni and Fe atoms and active sites exposed by large surface area. The effective combination of low cost and high electrocatalytic activity brings about a promising prospect for Ni–Fe₂B nanosheet arrays in the field of overall water splitting.     

Ni/NiO@rGO as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for enhanced overall water splitting reactions

Herein, we fabricated bifunctional, noble metal-free, highly efficient nickel/nickel oxide on reduced graphene oxide (Ni/NiO@rGO) by chemical synthesis approach for electrochemical water splitting reaction. Its structural and morphological characterization using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) represents, Ni/NiO@rGO is having Ni/NiO NPs ∼10 nm (±2 nm) on graphene oxide with face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure. Moreover, the presence of Ni/NiO (2.26%), O (6.56%), N (0.74%) and C (90.44%) from EDAX analysis further confirms the formation of Ni/NiO@rGO and it also supported by FTIR studies. This nanocatalyst is examined further for electrocatalytic water splitting reactions (HER and OER). It demonstrated low overpotential 582 mV to achieve current density at 10 mA cm⁻² and smaller Tafel slope of 63 mV dec⁻¹ obtained in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ towards HER. Also, at the other end at onset potential of 1.6 V vs. RHE towards OER. It demonstrated low overpotential 480 mV to achieve current density at 10 mA cm⁻² and smaller Tafel slope of 41 mV dec⁻¹ in 0.5 M KOH towards OER observed. Hydrogen fuel is eco-friendly to the environment and noteworthy performance of earth-saving reactions.     

Construction of hierarchical Prussian Blue Analogue phosphide anchored on Ni2P@MoOx nanosheet spheres for efficient overall water splitting

In response to the energy crisis, molybdenum-based catalyst has been proposed as a high-performance electrocatalytic material due to its low price and excellent HER performance. However, in contrast with its excellent HER performance, its poor OER performance often limits practical application as a high-performance overall water splitting catalyst. In this study, Prussian blue analogue (PBA) is grown in-situ on molybdenum-based nanosheet spheres by a simple and ingenious method and then subjected to phosphorization. The resulting composite catalyst exhibits highly efficient overall water splitting performance, overpotentials at current densities of 10 mA cm⁻² and 100 mA cm⁻² for the HER and OER are −61 mV and 268 mV, respectively. Moreover, an alkaline electrolyzer makes up by the catalyst both as positive and negative can reach a cell voltage 1.494 V at 10 mA cm⁻² for the overall water splitting. This method has provided a new strategy to effective combine PBA and molybdenum-based catalyst.     

Facile synthesis of three-dimensional spherical Ni(OH)2/NiCo2O4 heterojunctions as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting

Synthesis of highly efficient, non-noble and bi-functional electrocatalysts is exceedingly challenging and necessary for water splitting devices. In this work, three-dimensional spherical Ni(OH)₂/NiCo₂O₄ heterojunctions are prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method and the hybrids are explored as efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an alkaline electrolyte via tuning different Ni/Co atomic ratios of heterojunctions. The optimized Ni(OH)₂/NiCo₂O₄ (S (1:1)) exhibits high electrocatalytic activity with an ultralow over-potential of 189 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for the HER. With regard to the OER, the over-potential of the as-synthesized S (1:1) heterojunction is only 224 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm⁻². The improved catalytic performance of the Ni(OH)₂/NiCo₂O₄ heterojunctions is attributed to the chemical synergic combining of Ni(OH)₂ and NiCo₂O₄, large specific surface area for exposing more accessible active sites, and heterointerface for activating the intermediates that facilitates electron/electrolyte transport. The prepared catalyst exhibits good durability and stability in HER and OER catalyzing conditions. This study provides a feasible approach for the building of highly efficient bifunctional water splitting electrocatalysts and stimulates the development of renewable energy conversion and storage devices.     

Pulse-electrodeposited Ni–Fe–Sn films supported on Ni foam as an excellent bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

The development of extremely active bifunctional non-noble electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is pivotal for water splitting but remains challenging. Herein, self-supported Ni–Fe–Sn electrocatalysts were fabricated on nickel foam (NF) through a simple and facile pulse electrodeposition process. Under optimal conditions, the prepared Ni–Fe–Sn electrocatalysts exhibited excellent bifunctional properties in alkaline medium and required ultralow overpotentials of only 27 and 201 mV for HER and OER, respectively, to reach the current density of 10 mA cm^?2. Importantly, the same Ni–Fe–Sn electrocatalyst can be assembled as the anode and the cathode in a two-electrode system. It demanded a fairly low applied voltage of 1.55, 1.72, and 1.87 V to produce 10, 50, and 100 mA cm^?2, respectively, and exhibited excellent long-term stability. The excellent electrocatalytic water splitting performance of the Ni–Fe–Sn film was mainly associated with its intrinsic catalytic activity derived from the modulation of the electronic structures among Ni, Fe, and Sn by using the appropriate atomic ratio of Ni: Fe: Sn.     

A highly active composite electrocatalyst Ni–Fe–P–Nb2O5/NF for overall water splitting

This work demonstrates a facile Nb₂O₅-decorated electrocatalyst to prepare cost-effective Ni–Fe–P–Nb₂O₅/NF and compared HER & OER performance in alkaline media. The prepared electrocatalyst presented an outstanding electrocatalytic performance towards hydrogen evolution reaction, which required a quite low overpotential of 39.05 mV at the current density of ?10 mA cm^?2 in 1 M KOH electrolyte. Moreover, the Ni–Fe–P–Nb₂O₅/NF catalyst also has excellent oxygen evolution efficiency, which needs only 322 mV to reach the current density of 50 mA cm^?2. Furthermore, its electrocatalytic performance towards overall water splitting worked as both cathode and anode achieved a quite low potential of 1.56 V (10 mA cm^?2).     

Facile synthesis of highly active monolithic water-separated W-doped Ni–Fe–P catalysts

A new type of highly active and cost-effective nanoporous W-doped Ni–Fe–P catalyst on nickel foam (NF) was synthesized by a facile electroless plating method. The W-doped Ni–Fe–P/NF catalysts exhibit extraordinary catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media, capable of yielding a current density of −10 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of only 68 mV. Furthermore, the catalysts also show efficient activity towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an overpotential of 210 mV at j = 10 mA cm⁻² as well. The W-doped Ni–Fe–P/NF electrocatalyst exhibits a long-term durability over 13 h test.     

A nano-spherical structure Ni3S2/Ni(OH)2 electrocatalyst prepared by one-step fast electrodeposition for efficient and durable water splitting

Developing non-noble metal catalysts with excellent electrocatalytic performance and stability is of great significance to hydrogen production by water electrolysis, but there are still problems of low activity, complex preparation and high cost. Herein, we fabricated a novel Ni₃S₂/Ni(OH)₂ dual-functional electrocatalyst by a one-step fast electrodeposition on nickel foam (NF). While maintaining the electrocatalytic performance of Ni₃S₂, the existence of heterostructure and Ni(OH)₂ co-catalyst function greatly improves the overall water splitting performance of Ni₃S₂/Ni(OH)₂–NF. Hence, It shows a low overpotential of 66 mV at 10 mA cm^?2 for HER and 249 mV at 20 mA cm^?2 for OER. The dual-functional electrocatalyst needs only 1.58 V at 20 mA cm^?2 when assembled two-electrode electrolytic cell. Impressively, the electrocatalyst also shows outstanding catalytic stability for about 800 h when 20 and 50 mA cm^?2 constant current was applied, respectively which demonstrates a potential electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.     

Hydrothermally/electrochemically decorated FeSe on Ni-foam electrode: An efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting in an alkaline medium

A new hybrid catalyst based on Ni foam (NF) and FeSe was prepared by a facial hydrothermal method, in which Se-decorated NF was subsequently electrochemically doped by Fe. Binder-free catalyst containing electrodes were directly tested for the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER). The FeSe/NF electrode displayed an OER current density of 100 mA cm⁻² at potential of 1.42 V, and a relatively small Tafel slope of 109 mV dec⁻¹ in a 1 M KOH solution. Also, FeSe/NF electrode exhibited reasonable HER overpotential of 200 mV at 10 mAcm⁻² current density with Tafel slope of 145 mV dec⁻¹. The XRD and TEM studies revealed that the formation of heterogeneous interfaces of NiSe₂ and FeSe₂,generated more active sites that can promote better ions and electron transport in the electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Furthermore, HRTEM analysis indicates that FeSe₂ rich in Se vacancy defects can be created with suitable M − O and M − H bond for better OER and HER performance, respectively. In a-two electrode alkaline water electrolyzer, current densities of 10 mA cm⁻² and 50 mA cm⁻² were obtained at cell voltages of 1.52 V and 1.85 V, respectively, using pure FeSe–NF as both the cathode and anode.     

Sulfuration of hierarchical Mn-doped NiCo LDH heterostructures as efficient electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

Constructing efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for both cathode and anode is of great importance for obtaining green hydrogen by water splitting. Herein, sulfuration of hierarchical Mn-doped NiCo LDH heterostructures (Mn–NiCoS₂/NF) is constructed as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via a facile hydrothermal-annealing strategy. Mn–NiCoS₂/NF shows an overpotential of 310 mV at 50 mA cm⁻² for OER and 100 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for HER in 1.0 M KOH. Moreover, only 1.496 V@10 mA cm⁻² is required for overall water splitting by using Mn–NiCoS₂/NF as catalyst dual electrodes in a two-electrode system. The excellent performance of Mn–NiCoS₂/NF should be attributed to the ameliorative energy barriers of adsorption/desorption for HO⁻/H₂O through the modification of electronic structure of NiCo basal plane by Mn-doping and the acceleration of water dissociation steps via rich delocalized electron inside sulfur vacancies. The construction of hierarchical Mn–NiCoS₂/NF heterostructures provides new prospects and visions into developing efficient-advanced electrocatalysts for overall water splitting.     

Porous NiFe alloys synthesized via freeze casting as bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction

Binder-free NiFe-based electrocatalyst with aligned pore channels has been prepared by freeze casting and served as a bifunctional catalytic electrode for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reaction (OER and HER). The synergistic effects between Ni and Fe result in the high electrocatalytic performance of porous NiFe electrodes. In 1.0 M KOH, porous Ni₇Fe₃ attains 100 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of 388 mV with a Tafel slope of 35.8 mV dec⁻¹ for OER, and porous Ni₉Fe₁ exhibits a low overpotential of 347 mV at 100 mA cm⁻² with a Tafel slope of 121.0 mV dec⁻¹ for HER. The Ni₉Fe₁//Ni₉Fe₁ requires a low cell voltage of 1.69 V to deliver 10 mA cm⁻² current density for overall water splitting. The excellent durability at a high current density of porous NiFe electrodes has been confirmed during OER, HER and overall water splitting. The fine electrocatalytic performances of the porous NiFe-based electrodes owing to the three-dimensionally well-connected scaffolds, aligned pore channels, and bimetallic synergy, offering excellent charge/ion transfer efficiency and sizeable active surface area. Freeze casting can be applied to design and synthesize various three-dimensionally porous non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts with controllable multiphase for energy conversion and storage.     

Tailoring cation vacancies in Co,Ni phosphides for efficient overall water splitting

High-efficiency water splitting catalysts are competitive in energy conversion and clean energy production. Herein, a bifunctional water splitting catalyst CoNiP with cation vacancy defects (CoNiP–V) is constructed through defect engineering. The results show that abundant cation vacancy defects in CoNiP–V are bifunctional active centers in the process of water electrolysis, which enhance the activity of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In 1.0 mol L^?1 potassium hydroxide, CoNiP–V requires a pretty low overpotential of 58 mV to reach a geometrical current density of 10 mA cm^?2 for HER. To deliver a current density of 100 mA cm^?2, only 137 mV and 340 mV of overpotential are needed for HER and OER, respectively. Moreover, the cell with CoNiP–V as both cathode and anode exhibits good stability, which only needs 1.61 V to achieve a current density of 100 mA cm^?2, and the cell voltage barely rises 10% after 100 h’ test under 100 mA cm^?2. Therefore, CoNiP–V is promising for the development of efficient water splitting catalysts.     

Electrodeposition of Ni–Fe–Mn ternary nanosheets as affordable and efficient electrocatalyst for both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions

The synthesis of high performance and economical electrocatalysts in the process of overall water splitting is very important for the production of hydrogen energy and has become one of the most important challenges. Here, various Ni, Ni–Fe, Ni–Mn nanosheets and Ni–Fe–Mn ternary nanosheets were created using cost-effective, versatile and binder-free electrochemical deposition methods, and the electrocatalytic activity of various electrodes for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) were investigated in an alkaline environment. Due to the high electrochemical active surface area due to the fabrication of nanosheets, the synergistic effect between different elements on the electronic structure, the high wettability due to the formation of nanosheets and the quick detachment of formed gasses from the electrode, the Ni–Fe–Mn nanosheets electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity. In order to deliver the 10 mA cm⁻² current density in HER and OER processes, this electrode required values of 64 mV and 230 mV overpotential, respectively. Also, the stability test showed that after 10 h of electrolysis at a current density of 100 mA cm⁻², the overpotential changes was very small (less than 4%), indicating that the electrode was excellent electrostatic stability. Also, when using as a bi-functional electrode in the full water splitting system, it only needed a cell voltage of 1528 V to deliver a current of 10 mA cm⁻². The results of this study indicate a new strategy for the synthesis of active and stable electrocatalysts.     

Superhydrophilic 3D peony flower-like Mo-doped Ni2S3@NiFe LDH heterostructure electrocatalyst for accelerating water splitting

Constructing highly efficient nonprecious electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential to improve the efficiency of overall water splitting, but still remains lots of obstacles. Herein, a novel 3D peony flower-like electrocatalyst was synthesized by employing Mo–Ni₂S₃/NF nanorod arrays as scaffolds to in situ growth ultrathin NiFe LDH nanosheets (Mo-Ni₂S₃@NiFe LDH). As expected, the novel peony flower-like Mo–Ni₂S₃@NiFe LDH displays superior electrocatalytic activity and stability for both OER and HER in alkaline media. Low overpotentials of only 228 mV and 109 mV are required to achieve the current densities of 50 mA cm^?2 and 10 mA cm^?2 for OER and HER, respectively. Additionally, the material remarkably accelerates water splitting with a low voltage of 1.54 V at 10 mA cm^?2, which outperforms most transition metal electrodes. The outstanding electrocatalytic activity benefits from the following these features: 3D peony flower-like structure with rough surface provides more accessible active sites; superhydrophilic surfaces lead to the tight affinity between electrode with electrolyte; metallic Ni substrate and highly conductive Mo–Ni₂S₃ nanorods scaffold together with offer fast electron transfer; the nanorod arrays and porous Ni foam accelerate gas bubble release and ions transmission; the strong interfacial effect between Mo-doped Ni₃S₂ and NiFe LDH shortens transport pathway, which are benefit for electrocatalytic performance enhancement. This work paves a new avenue for construction and fabrication the 3D porous structure to boost the intrinsic catalytic activities for energy conversion and storage applications.     

Synthesis of bristlegrass-like Co-doped Ni2P composites on Ni foam for overall seawater splitting

Seawater is the most abundant resource on earth, so developing cost-effective, highly durable corrosion resistance and efficient electrocatalysts are crucial to enhance seawater splitting. Herein, we prepared 3D bristlegrass-like Co-doped Ni₂P (Co-Ni₂P) composites supported on Ni foam (NF) through a facile solvothermal method combined and a subsequent phosphatization treatment. Benefiting from the unique structure, Co-Ni₂P shows excellent electrocatalytic activity as an electrode material for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, low overpotential of 116 mV at 50 mA cm^?2) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER, low overpotential of 266 mV at 50 mA cm^?2). Moreover, the as-prepared Co-Ni₂P composites exhibit excellent stability and corrosion resistance in an alkaline medium. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to evaluate the H1 adsorption of Co-Ni₂P, and the results proved the high catalytic activity for the HER. This study provides new materials with a unique morphology for overall water splitting.