Wu Xinyang, Wang Dandan, Ren Yongpeng, Zhang Haiwen, Yin Shengyu, Yan Ming, Li Yaru, Wei Shizhong
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471000, China.
Henan Key Laboratory of High-Temperature Metal Structural and Functional Materials, National Joint Engineering Research Center for Abrasion Control and Molding of Metal Materials, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471000, China.
Materials (Basel). 2025 May 11;18(10):2221. doi: 10.3390/ma18102221.
Developing efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts with excellent stability at high current densities for overall water splitting is a challenging yet essential objective. However, transition metal phosphides encounter issues such as poor dispersibility, low specific surface area, and limited electronic conductivity, which hinder the achievement of satisfactory performance. Therefore, this study presents the highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst of CeO-modified NiFe phosphide on nickel foam (CeO/NiP/FeP/NF). NiP/FeP coupled with CeO was deposited on nickel foam through hydrothermal synthesis and sequential calcination processes. The electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst was evaluated in an alkaline solution, and it exhibited an HER overpotential of 87 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm and an OER overpotential of 228 mV at the current density of 150 mA cm. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated good stability, with a retention rate of 91.2% for the HER and 97.3% for the OER after 160 h of stability tests. The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the following factors: (1) The interface between NiP/FeP and CeO facilitates electron transfer and reactant adsorption, thereby improving catalytic activity. (2) The three-dimensional porous structure of nickel foam provides an ideal substrate for the uniform distribution of NiP, FeP, and CeO nanoparticles, while its high conductivity facilitates electron transport. (3) The incorporation of larger Ce⁺ ions in place of smaller Fe⁺ ions leads to lattice distortion and an increase in defects within the NiFe-layered double hydroxide structure, significantly enhancing its catalytic performance. This research finding offers an effective strategy for the design and synthesis of low-cost, high-potential catalysts for water electrolysis.
开发在高电流密度下具有出色稳定性的高效双功能电催化剂用于全水解是一项具有挑战性但又至关重要的目标。然而，过渡金属磷化物存在诸如分散性差、比表面积低和电子电导率有限等问题，这阻碍了令人满意性能的实现。因此，本研究提出了一种在泡沫镍上的CeO修饰的镍铁磷化物高效双功能电催化剂（CeO/NiP/FeP/NF）。通过水热合成和顺序煅烧过程，将与CeO耦合的NiP/FeP沉积在泡沫镍上。在碱性溶液中评估了该催化剂的电催化性能，在10 mA cm的电流密度下其析氢过电位为87 mV，在150 mA cm的电流密度下其析氧过电位为228 mV。此外，该催化剂表现出良好的稳定性，在160小时的稳定性测试后，析氢的保留率为91.2%，析氧的保留率为97.3%。优异的电化学性能可归因于以下因素：（1）NiP/FeP与CeO之间的界面促进了电子转移和反应物吸附，从而提高了催化活性。（2）泡沫镍的三维多孔结构为NiP、FeP和CeO纳米颗粒的均匀分布提供了理想的基底，同时其高电导率促进了电子传输。（3）用较大的Ce⁺离子取代较小的Fe⁺离子导致NiFe层状双氢氧化物结构内的晶格畸变和缺陷增加，显著提高了其催化性能。这一研究发现为设计和合成低成本、高潜力的水电解催化剂提供了一种有效策略。
