Synthesis of 3D heterostructure Co-doped Fe2P electrocatalyst for overall seawater electrolysis

Electrolysis of seawater makes full use of this natural resource and continuously turns it into a clean fuel, hydrogen. Electrocatalysts for seawater electrolysis must maintain a steady-state operation without suffering from chloride corrosion. In this study, we report a three-dimensional structure metal phosphide electrocatalyst by depositing cobalt-doped Fe2P (Co-Fe2P) on Ni foam. Density functional theory calculations showed that CoFe2P was beneficial for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) because of its suitable H* adsorption. Thus, the asprepared Co-Fe2P acted as an efficient bifunctional electmcatalyst, exhibiting enhanced electrocatalytic properties for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and HER. Moreover, the simulated alkaline seawater was used to determine the optimum potential (1.69 V at 100 mA cm(-2)) required for seawater splitting using the assynthesized electrocatalyst. This study proposes a novel material for electrocatalytic application.

Automated summary

The study presents a novel three-dimensional metal phosphide electrocatalyst (Co-Fe2P) deposited on Ni foam for seawater electrolysis, showing enhanced electrocatalytic properties for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Density functional theory calculations demonstrated the beneficial effect of CoFe2P on HER due to its suitable H* adsorption, with the potential for application in efficient electrolysis of seawater.