Hollow FeCo-FeCoP@C nanocubes embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages for efficient overall water splitting

Abstract

PBA-derived hollow FeCo-FeCoP@C nanocubes embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages for efficient overall water splitting. This work shows that the catalysts with well-designed composition and morphology derived from MOF endow them with favorable activity and a wide range of applications. Designing readily available and highly active electrocatalysts for water splitting is essential for renewable energy technologies. Here we present the construction of FeCo-FeCoP@C hollow nanocubes encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (FeCo-FeCoP@C@NCCs) through controlled carbonization and subsequent phosphorization of a Prussian blue analogue. With stronger electronic interaction and hollow structure, the as-obtained FeCo-FeCoP@C@NCCs material requires small overpotentials of 91 mV and 280 mV to deliver 10 mA cm −2 in 1 M KOH toward hydrogen and oxygen evolution, respectively. More importantly, applying this material for overall water splitting, it only requires 1.64 V to afford 10 mA cm −2 and exhibits impressively durability over 40 h without obvious performance decay. The present approach inspires potentials for the controllable synthesis of multi-component catalysts for practical applications.