Mo-doped NiCoP nanowire array grown in situ on Ni foam as a high-performance bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

The development and application of durable and efficient non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts are particularly crucial for hydrogen production using overall water-splitting technology. Herein, a simple method was employed to synthesize Mo-doped NiCoP nanowires on a metallic 3D Ni foam (Mo-NiCoP/NF) for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This long-term stable MoNiCoP/NF catalyst demonstrated comparatively low overpotentials and excellent dual-functional catalytic performances. The overpotentials for the HER and OER were 64 and 262 mV, respectively, to actuate a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in an alkaline environment (1 M KOH). Meanwhile, when this electrocatalyst was utilized for overall water splitting, a cell voltage of 1.56 V could supply a current density of 10 mA cm-2 for at least 50 h with a negligible performance drop. This work provides an advanced approach to developing non-noble metal phosphide nanostructures as monolithic dual-functional electrocatalysts for overall alkaline water splitting. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A Mo-doped NiCoP nanowire catalyst was synthesized on a metallic 3D Ni foam for hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions with low overpotentials and excellent catalytic performances. This catalyst showed stable performance for at least 50 hours in overall water splitting with a negligible performance drop.