Self-Supported Cobalt Nickel Nitride Nanowires Electrode for Overall Electrochemical Water Splitting

The design and synthesis of electrocatalysts possessing both hydrogen and oxygen evolution activity is of critical importance to simplify the water splitting system. In this work, we reported the preparation of porous Ni-Co nitride nanowires (NiCoN NWs) supported on carbon cloth, and used as bifunctional electrocatalysts to achieve overall water splitting. Benefiting from the 1D porous nanowire structure, the close contact between catalysts and support, and the increased conductivity, the resultant NiCoN NWs exhibited high activities in both the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) with low overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) (approximate to 145 mV for HER and 360 mV for OER), low Tafel slope (105.2 mV dec(-1) for HER and 46.9 mV dec(-1) for OER), and good electrochemical stability. Good stability was also obtained upon using the material as HER and OER catalysts in a two-electrode system to split water.