Abstract
Bimetallic phosphides have been attracting increasing attention due to their synergistic effect for improving the hydrogen evolution reaction as compared to monometallic phosphides. In this work, NiCoP modified hybrid electrodes were fabricated by a one-step electrodeposition process with TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNAs) as a carrier. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to characterize the physiochemical properties of the samples. The electrochemical performance was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We show that after incorporating Co into Ni–P, the resulting NixCoyP/TNAs present enhanced electrocatalytic activity due to the improved electron transfer and increased electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). In 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4 electrolyte, the NixCoyP/TNAs (x = 3.84, y = 0.78) demonstrated an ECSA value of 52.1 mF cm−2, which is 3.8 times that of Ni–P/TNAs (13.7 mF cm−2). In a two-electrode system with a Pt sheet as the anode, the NixCoyP/TNAs presented a bath voltage of 1.92 V at 100 mA cm−2, which is an improvment of 79% over that of 1.07 V at 10 mA cm−2.
Highlights
Significant research efforts have been invested in the electrochemical splitting of water using renewable energy to attempt to overcome the growing energy demands and associated environmental crisis [1,2,3]
Compared to the nickel foam or other substrates [19,23,24], TiO2 nanotube arrays prepared by anodization are favorable for the loading of catalysts and the fast transfer of electrons from the electrode to the active sites owing to the large surface area and distinctive 3D well-ordered nanotube structure
No diffraction peaks related to Ni–P or NiCoP crystallites was found, illustrating that the crystallographic texture of the electrode samples was not altered by the electrodeposition of Ni–P or NiCoP
Summary
Significant research efforts have been invested in the electrochemical splitting of water using renewable energy to attempt to overcome the growing energy demands and associated environmental crisis [1,2,3]. Compared to the nickel foam or other substrates [19,23,24], TiO2 nanotube arrays prepared by anodization are favorable for the loading of catalysts and the fast transfer of electrons from the electrode to the active sites owing to the large surface area and distinctive 3D well-ordered nanotube structure.
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