Interfacial engineering of metal-organic framework derived hierarchical CoP-Ni5P4 nanosheet arrays for overall water splitting

To sustainably develop an economical, efficient and stable non-noble metal hydrogen production catalyst is still an essential challenge. Herein, a hierarchical CoP-Ni5P4 nanosheet array self-supported electrode (CoP-Ni5P4/NF) for water splitting was successfully constructed by a simple MOF calcination method. CoP-Ni5P4/NF exhibited outstanding performance for overall alkaline water splitting, and the potential is only 1.47 V at 10 mA cm(-2) with outstanding stability beyond 50 h. Combining the experimental analyses and theoretical calculations, it is revealed that the construction of the hierarchical CoP-Ni5P4 nanosheet array self-supported electrode increases the exposure of active sites and enhances the conductivity and stability. Moreover, the interfacial effect of CoP-Ni5P4 effectively regulates the electronic structure and reduces the adsorption energy of intermediates, thus improving water electrolysis kinetics. This work provides fresh impetus to the design of MOF-derived two-dimensional heterogeneous catalysts for overall water splitting.

Automated summary

A hierarchical CoP-Ni5P4 nanosheet array self-supported electrode (CoP-Ni5P4/NF) for water splitting was successfully constructed by a simple MOF calcination method. CoP-Ni5P4/NF exhibited outstanding performance for overall alkaline water splitting, with a potential of only 1.47 V at 10 mA cm(-2) and exceptional stability beyond 50 hours. The construction of the hierarchical CoP-Ni5P4 nanosheet array self-supported electrode increased the exposure of active sites, enhanced conductivity and stability, while the interfacial effect of CoP-Ni5P4 effectively regulated the electronic structure and reduced the adsorption energy of intermediates, thereby improving water electrolysis kinetics. This work provides fresh impetus to the design of MOF-derived two-dimensional heterogeneous catalysts for overall water splitting.