Co-Ni-Based Nanotubes/Nanosheets as Efficient Water Splitting Electrocatalysts

One promising approach to hydrogen energy utilization from full water splitting relies on the successful development of earth-abundant, efficient, and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, homologous Co-Ni-based nanotube/nanosheet structures with tunable Co/Ni ratios, including hydroxides and nitrides, are grown on conductive substrates by a cation-exchanging method to grow hydroxides, followed by anion exchanging to obtain corresponding nitrides. These hydroxide OER catalysts and nitride HER catalysts exhibit low overpotentials, small Tafel slopes, and high current densities, which are attributed to their large electrochemically reactive surface, 1D morphologies for charge conduction, and octahedral coordination states of metal ions for efficient catalytic activities. The homologous Co-Ni-based nanotube hydroxides and nitrides suggest promising electrocatalysts for full water splitting with high efficiency, good stability, convenient fabrication, and low cost.