Engineering P-doped Ni3S2-NiS hybrid nanorod arrays for efficient overall water electrolysis

Exploring efficient non-metal catalysts to simultaneously drive hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution is significantly important but challenging for practical overall water electrolysis. Herein, anionic doping engineering is adopted to develop phosphorus-doped hybrid Ni3S2-NiS nanorod arrays as efficient dual-functional catalysts in alkaline media. P-doping and hetero-interface engineering induce improved active sites in the catalysis. Nanorod arrays structure is beneficial for charge and mass transfer, and P-doping promotes the conductivity and intrinsic catalysis activity. Serving as bifunctional catalyst, the present sample exhibits outstanding activities, with low overpotentials of 141 mV and 178 mV at current density of 10 mA cm -2 for cathodic hydrogen and anodic oxygen evolution, respectively. In a two-electrode cell with P-doped Ni3S2-NiS as bifunctional electrode, the active overall water splitting activity (cell voltage of 1.51 V at 10 mA cm(-2) and 1.67 V at 100 mA cm(-2)) and good stability are obtained. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Efficient non-metal catalysts for both hydrogen and oxygen evolution in water electrolysis are important but challenging. Anionic doping engineering was used to develop phosphorus-doped Ni3S2-NiS nanorod arrays, which exhibited excellent catalytic activity and stability, showing low overpotentials for hydrogen and oxygen evolution.