Low-Potential Overall Water Splitting Induced by Engineered CoTe2-WTe2 Heterointerfaces

Heterointerfaces in the form of nanostructurescan drasticallyimprove electrochemical water splitting. This study is geared towardthe design and development of cobalt telluride (CoTe2)-tungstentelluride (WTe2) nanostructures with good porosity anda high specific surface area, leading to faster overall water splittingkinetics. This is attributed to the enhanced synergistic effects ofCo and W atoms, which regulate electron transfer and give rise tooptimum binding energy for reaction intermediates. CoTe2-WTe2 nanostructures have demonstrated a low oxygenevolution reaction overpotential of 184 mV @ 10 mA cm(-2) and a low hydrogen evolution reaction overpotential of 178 mV @10 mA cm(-2) in alkaline solution. A two-electrodecell with CoTe2-WTe2 nanostructures asboth the anode and the cathode exhibits a low cell potential of 1.52V at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) with good stabilityfor 50 h (7.8% reduction in current density). This study emphasizesthe significance of heterointerface design in transition metal tellurideelectrocatalysts.

Automated summary

This study focuses on the design and development of cobalt telluride (CoTe2)-tungstentelluride (WTe2) nanostructures with high porosity and specific surface area to enhance electrochemical water splitting. The synergistic effects of Co and W atoms in the nanostructures improve electron transfer and provide optimal binding energy for reaction intermediates. The CoTe2-WTe2 nanostructures exhibit low overpotential for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions in alkaline solution, and a two-electrode cell using these nanostructures as both anode and cathode shows low cell potential and good stability.