The Fe2P/NiCoP phosphating compound supported by nickel foam functions as a superior bi-functional catalyst to speed up the overall water splitting

Abstract

In this work, we designed a bifunctional Fe2P/NiCoP/NF catalyst with a self supporting structure based on nickel foam (NF) as a conducting matrix. For both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), this catalyst showed improved bifunctional catalytic function. CoFe precursor are co-phosphated with NF, and this causes the NF surface to take part in the reaction, forming a spherical composite material composed of NiCoP particles and Fe2P particles. In addition, it was found that NF provides good conductivity and stability in the electrocatalytic test, and NiCoP and Fe2P have an apparent synergistic impact, which has a superior catalytic function on both HER and OER. OER overpotential of 261 mV and HER overpotential of 125 mV, respectively, are displayed by the Fe2P/NiCoP/NF catalyst with current densities of 50 mA cm−2 and 10 mA cm−2 separately. Fe2P/NiCoP/NF further performed exceptionally well throughout the overall water splitting process. With just 1.43 V, it can attain 10 mA cm−2 and maintain stability for 50 h. The H2 production in the total water splitting process can reach 4.35 μmol min−1. As a result, the self-supporting bifunctional electrocatalyst composed of Fe2P/NiCoP/NF can be effective and long-lasting for overall water splitting.