Puffing quaternary FexCoyNi1-x-yP nanoarray via kinetically controlled alkaline etching for robust overall water splitting

Designing and constructing bifunctional electrocatalysts with high efficiency, high stability and low cost for overall water splitting to produce clean hydrogen fuel is attractive but highly challenging. Here we constructed puffed quaternary FexCoyNi1-x-yP nanoarrays as bifunctional electrodes for robust overall water splitting. The iron was used as the modulator to manipulate the electron density of NiCoP nanoarray, which could increase the positive charges of metal (Ni and Co) and P sites. The resultant electronic structure of FexCoyNi1-x-yP was supposed to balance the adsorption and desorption of H and accelerate the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics. Moreover, the morphological structure of FexCoyNi1-x-yP was modulated through the kinetically controlled alkaline etching by using the amphoteric features of initial FeCoNi hydroxide nanowires. The resultant puffed structure has rich porosity, cavity and defects, which benefit the exposure of more active sites and the transport of mass/ charge. As a result, the cell integrated with the puffed quaternary FexCoyNi1-x-yP nanoarrays as both the cathode and anode only requires the overpotentials of 25 and 230 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and OER at the current density of 10 mA cm(-2) in alkaline media and a cell voltage of 1.48 V to drive the overall water splitting. Moreover, the puffed FexCoyNi1-x-yP demonstrates remarkable durability for continuous electrolysis even at a large current density of 240 mA cm(-2).