Highly
efficient and low-cost bifunctional electrocatalysts in
the same medium are indispensable for overall water splitting. Herein,
Fe-doped Ni–Co phosphide nanoplates with a hierarchical nanostructure
were successfully fabricated on a carbon cloth (Fe
x
-NiCoP) via a facile method with electrodesposition and PH3 plasma treatment. Benefiting from the hierarchical structure,
two-dimensional nanoplates comprising fine nanocrystals and doping
effects of Fe, the Fe
x
-NiCoP demonstrates
excellent electrocatalytic performance for both the hydrogen evolution
reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is sensitive
to the Fe content. By controlling the Fe content, Fe1-NiCoP
achieves 10 mA cm–2 at a low overpotential of 60
mV for the HER, while Fe2-NiCoP with a higher Fe doping
content drives 50 mA cm–2 at only 293 mV for the
OER. Upon high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, some planar
defects were observed in the Fe-doped NiCoP nanocrystals, which may
account for the increased exposure of active sites. When the optimal
Fe
x
-NiCoP electrodes were employed as
the anode and cathode for water electrolysis in the alkaline electrolyte,
the electrolyzer achieves 10 mA cm–2 at a low cell
voltage of 1.61 V. Our work might shed light on rational design of
the efficient multimetallic phosphide bifunctional electrocatalysts
for overall water splitting.
Hydrogen generation through electrochemical water splitting plays a significant role in solving the energy crisis and preventing the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, and requires efficient and robust electrocatalysts for...
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