Bifunctional Electrocatalysts Research Articles

ZnS-zeolitic imidazolate framework nanostructure anchored on Ni nanowires as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for high-efficiency overall water splitting

The design and construction of stable and inexpensive bifunctional catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) present a challenge in electrocatalytic water splitting. In this study, we utilized zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) as the precursor to fabricate ZnS-ZIF-8 via facile sulfidation processes. The ZnS-ZIF-8 nanostructures were anchored on the surface of the nickel nanowire (denoted as Ni NWs@ ZnS-ZIF-8 nanocomposite) and their catalytic activity for HER, OER, and overall water splitting were studied. The prepared Ni NWs@ ZnS-ZIF-8 revealed a low overpotentials value of 90 and 260 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for HER and OER in 1.0 M KOH solution, respectively. The alkaline electrolyzer assembled by Ni NWs@ ZnS-ZIF-8 provides a low cell voltage of 1.61 V at 10 mA cm−2 current density to boost the overall water splitting and robust stability for 15 h. The superior electrocatalytic activity of Ni NWs@ ZnS-ZIF-8 is owing to the facile and effective electron transport of Ni NWs, accessible active sites of ZnS-ZIF-8, and as well as the synergistic effect of the nanocomposite structures. This finding presents a viable methodology for synthesizing a proficient noble-metal-free catalyst for energy conversion and storage.

Dual Metal Sites Coengineered Graphitic Carbon Nitride as Green Electrocatalyst for Highly Selective Overall Water Splitting—A Sustainable Approach

The development of efficient, low‐cost, non‐noble metal‐oxide‐based nanohybrid materials for overall water splitting is a critical strategy for enhancing clean energy use and addressing environmental issues. In this study, an interfacial engineering strategy for the development of bimetallic Co–Ni nanoparticles on graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) using ultrasonication followed by coprecipitation is conveyed. These nanoparticles demonstrate high efficacy as bifunctional electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline conditions. Co–Ni nanoparticles on graphitic carbon nitride demonstrate an increased surface area via ultrasonication and subsequent coprecipitation. The g‐C3N4 combined with Co–Ni nanoparticles leads to the development of bifunctional catalysts that exhibit significant efficiency in both HER and OER, and their interfacial properties are investigated for the first time. The chemical composition and morphology of g‐C3N4 integrated with Co–Ni nanoparticles significantly influence the modulation of redox‐active sites and the facilitation of electron transfer, resulting in improved splitting efficiency. The interactions between the Co–Ni bimetal and g‐C3N4 demonstrate exceptional electrochemical performance for water splitting. Consequently, the 20% 20–Co–Ni–graphitic carbon nitride electrode demonstrated superior HER performance, comparable to the other electrodes. In the results, it is indicated that an increased molar ratio of Co and Ni incorporated in graphitic carbon nitride significantly improves HER performance.

The tunable double-layer self-supporting Sb-Ni(OH)2 catalyst for boosting electrocatalytic water splitting

Green hydrogen preparation by electrolysis of water is key to driving the energy transition revolution. The development of low-cost, highly active and highly selective catalysts is a top priority for the commercial application from electrolytic water. This paper presents the synthesis of Sb-doped Ni(OH)2 nanosheets growing in situ on Ni foam, which serves as a self-supporting electrode. A straightforward one-step hydrothermal technique was employed to craft a dual-layer catalyst with a tunable morphology. Under the 1 M KOH conditions, Sb-Ni(OH)2-2.5/NF emerged as a bifunctional electrocatalyst, demonstrating an impressive HER performance of 159 mV (η10) and an OER performance of 430.8 mV (η50). The Sb-Ni(OH)2-2.5/NF also demonstrated remarkable stability by 3000 CV cycling tests. The Sb-Ni(OH)2-2.5/NF catalytic material prepared in this paper under laboratory conditions has a simple and inexpensive synthesis method, which helps to move electrolytic water catalysts from the laboratory to industry.

Simple solution immersion for realizing bifunctional catalyzation of water splitting in various electrolytes

Developing cost-effective, highly efficient and scalable bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen production is crucial for advancing hydrogen energy systems. However, current methods are hindered by high energy consumption and material limitations. This work introduces a bifunctional electrocatalyst (NiFe-OH@Co2P@NF), by simply immersing a hierarchical cobalt phosphide electrode in mixed Ni/Fe solution, followed by forming layered nickel-iron hydroxides on the surface. Electrochemical tests reveal that this catalyst enhances active site exposure, accelerates electron transfer, and significantly lowers the overpotential for water electrolysis. It requires minimal overpotentials (79 mV at 10 mA cm−2, 175 mV at 150 mA cm−2) in 1 M KOH solution. In a dual-electrode electrolytic cell system, the catalyst enables efficient hydrogen production at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with just 1.52 V, demonstrating robust stability during prolonged alkaline water splitting tests. Moreover, the bifunctional electrodes display good performance and durability in simulated alkaline seawater and 1 M KOH + seawater.

Hierarchical Bifunctional NiO Electrocatalyst: Highly Porous Structure Boosting the Water Splitting Activity.

The development of an efficient, low-cost and earth-abundant electrocatalyst for water splitting is crucial for the production of sustainable hydrogen energy. However their practical applications are largely restricted by their limited synthesis methods, large overpotential and low surface area. Hierarchical materials with a highly porous three-dimensional nanostructure have garnered significant attention due to their exceptional electrocatalytic properties. These hierarchical porous frameworks enable the fast electron transfer, rapid mass transport, and high density of unsaturated metal sites and maximize product selectivity. Here the process involved obtaining monodispersed microrod-shaped Ni(OH)2 through a hydrothermal reaction, followed by a heat treatment to convert it into hierarchical microrod-shaped NiO materials. N2 sorption analysis revealed that the BET surface area increased from 9 to 89 m2/g as a result of the heat treatment. The hierarchical microrod-shaped NiO materials demonstrated outstanding bifunctional electrocatalytic water splitting capabilities, excelling in both HER and OER in basic solution. Overpotential of 347 mV is achieved at 10 mA/cm2 for OER activity, with a Tafel slope of 77 mV/dec. Similarly, overpotential of 488 mV is achieved at 10 mA/cm2 for HER activity, with a Tafel slope of 62 mV/dec.

Immobilization of Metal Nanoparticles to an Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Conjugated Metal-Organic Framework for Synergistic Electrocatalysis.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been considered as promising hosts for immobilizing ultrafine metal nanoparticles (MNPs) due to their high surface area and porosity. However, electrochemical applications of such emerging composites are severely limited by the poor electrical conductivity and large size of the MOFs. Herein, we report the general synthesis of incorporating various MNPs into a conjugated MOF ultrathin nanosheet (Cu-TCPP UNS) matrix, which not only prevents agglomeration and restricts the growth of MNPs but also benefits the exposure of active sites and the transport of electrons. Specifically, the obtained PtCu@Cu-TCPP UNSs exhibited nearly two times higher mass activity for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Mechanistic studies reveal that the strong interaction between MNPs and Cu-TCPP promotes the oxidation of the CO intermediate. Moreover, the PtCu@Cu-TCPP UNSs can be employed as bifunctional electrocatalysts to couple MOR with the hydrogen evolution reaction for highly efficient hydrogen production.

Gel polymer electrolytes containing SiO2 spheres with tuned sizes to increase rechargeability of quasi-solid-state Zn-air batteries

Rechargeable zinc–air batteries (RZABs) with high energy densities and low costs have attracted tremendous interest for meeting the ever-growing demand for flexible and portable applications. In these batteries, the quasi-solid/solid-state electrolyte plays a critical role in the battery performance, such as the cycling performance rate and power output. In this study, porous poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) composite gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) were modified by incorporating SiO2 as a water retainer. For this reason, SiO2 spheres of different sizes were synthesized by varying the temperature (5, 20, 60, and 80 °C) and reaction time (2, 6, 18, and 24 h). According to the SEM micrographs, the average size ranged from 107 to 710 nm depending on the conditions. The porous PVA/PAA–SiO2 GPEs obtained by selecting three SiO2 sizes (107, 425, and 630 nm) exhibited higher water retention capability than the unmodified GPE. Among them, the GPE with SiO2–630 nm displayed the highest battery performance (1.46 V, 85 mWcm−2 @ 0.8 V). This was achieved using CoMn2O4 spinel as a bifunctional electrocatalyst, with a catalyst loading of 2 mg cm−2. The quasi-solid-state RZAB displayed twice the rechargeability of the RZAB assembled with Pt/C+IrO2/C (120 vs. 62 cycles). According to post-mortem tests, this can be related to the improved water retention, the decrease in the size of the formed Zn dendrites, and the stability of the bifunctional material. Thus, fine-tuning of the electrocatalyst/electrolyte interface strongly affects the rechargeability.

Spatially Immobilized PtPdFeCoNi as an Excellent Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalyst for Zinc–Air Battery

AbstractDeveloping efficient oxygen electrocatalysts with low cost, high catalytic activity, and robust stability remains a formidable challenge for rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs). Herein, highly dispersed ultrasmall PtPdFeCoNi high‐entropy alloy nanoparticles with a size of ≈ 2 nm and randomly distributed multimetallic single atoms spatially immobilized on the 3D hierarchically ordered porous nitrogen‐doped carbon skeleton (denoted as PtPdFeCoNi/HOPNC) are successfully synthesized via ultra‐rapid Joule heating process. The spatial immobilization on 3D HOPNC skeleton is the key to the high dispersion of multi‐active sites of oxygen electrocatalysts, and the formed hierarchical pore structure is conducive to the successful construction of the rapid mass transfer channel. As a result, the as‐prepared PtPdFeCoNi/HOPNC exhibits a positive half‐wave potential of 0.866 V versus RHE for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), a low overpotential of 310 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and low Tafel slopes for both ORR and OER. Furthermore, ZAB using PtPdFeCoNi/HOPNC as bifunctional oxygen catalysts exhibits excellent rate performances and superior cycling stability, surpassing that of a commercial Pt/C‐RuO2 mixture. The spatial immobilization strategy of HOPNC provides a new idea for the design and synthesis of efficient catalysts for various applications.

Computational screening of Group VⅢ@C5N4 single-atom electrocatalysts for overall water splitting

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have great potential for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) since their high atomic utilization and strong metal–support interactions. Herein, we develop TM@C5N4 (TM = Fe, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir and Pt) catalysts via embedding Group VⅢ TM in holey C5N4 substrate and further evaluate their electrocatalytic activity using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Systematical studies indicate that Fe@C5N4, Pd@C5N4 and Ir@C5N4 catalysts all exhibit excellent HER performance, which mainly because of their small ΔGH* values of 0.101 eV, -0.114 eV and 0.070 eV, respectively. In parallel, Rh@C5N4 and Ir@C5N4 possess high OER activity along with low overpotential of 0.50 V, which is superior to the commercial IrO2 catalyst (0.56 V). Obviously, Ir@C5N4 could be utilized as bifunctional electrocatalysts both HER and OER in water splitting. Furthermore, we analyze their correlative catalytic mechanisms using the molecular orbitals. Besides, biaxial strain modulation could effectively regulate the catalytic activity of HER and OER. Particularly, 2 % biaxial tensile strain could bring Ir@C5N4 superb HER/OER catalytic performance. Finally, we anticipate that this strain engineering would provide a new perspective for developing high-performance SACs for water splitting.

Novel design of hollow carbon nanocage modified with nanotubes as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for high performance Zn–air batteries

Microcavities play a crucial role as microreactors in the transport of molecular/ionic guests and the exposure of active sites, thus significantly influencing the electrocatalytic performance. This study prepares Co/N-codoped hollow carbon (HT-CoN/C) with surface-distributed carbon nanotubes by pyrolysis of PDA-coated Zn/Co bimetallic ZIF (BM-ZIF@PDA). Benefiting from the hierarchical porous structure, high specific surface area (307.17 m2 g−1) and abundant Co clusters, the HT-CoN/C exhibits remarkable bifunctional oxygen electrocatalytic activity with an overpotential of the ORR/OER processes (ΔE = 0.703 V). The density functional theory (DFT) calculations also verify that the configuration of C-coated N-coordinated Co clusters (Co4-Nx) affect the electrocatalytic activity of ORR and OER, illustrating the source of the excellent oxygen electrocatalytic activity of HT-CoN/C. The aqueous rechargeable zinc-air battery (RZAB) using HT-CoN/C as the air electrode is characterized by a superior peak power density (175 mW cm−2), a prolonged cycle life (1230 cycles/410 h at 5.0 mA cm−2) and a high open-circuit voltage (1.47 V). Meanwhile, the flexible solid-state RZAB assembled by the HT-CoN/C also exhibits a higher peak power density (117 mW cm−2) and an excellent bending performance. This work is extremely valuable for the design and synthesis of Co/N co-doped carbon electrocatalysts.

Deciphering the Electronic Coupling Dynamics of Laser-induced Ru/Cu Electrocatalyst for Dual-Side Hydrogen Production and Formic Acid Co-synthesis via DFT Analysis.

Herein, a straightforward approach using pulsed laser technology to synthesize selective hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) Ru nanoparticles attached to Cu nanospheres (Ru/Cu) as bifunctional electrocatalyst for catalyzing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and formaldehyde oxidation reaction (FOR) are reported. Initially, Ru-doped CuO flakes are synthesized using a coprecipitation method followed by transformation into Ru/Cu composites through a strategy involving pulsed laser irradiation in liquid. Specifically, the optimized Ru/Cu-4 composite not only demonstrates a low overpotential of 182mV at 10 mA·cm-2 for the HER but also an ultralow working potential of 0.078V (versusreversible hydrogen electrode) for the FOR at the same current density. Remarkably, the FOR∥HER-coupled electrolyzer employing the Ru/Cu-4∥Ru/Cu-4 system achieves H2 production at both electrodes with a cell voltage of 0.42 V at 10 mA·cm-2 while co-synthesizing formic acid. Furthermore, density functional theory analyses elucidate that the superior activity of the Ru/Cu composite originates from optimized adsorption energies of reactive species on the catalyst surfaces during the HER and FOR, facilitated by the synergistic coupling between Ru and Cu. This study presents an alternative strategy for synthesizing highly effective electrocatalytic materials for use in energy-efficient H2 production with the cosynthesis of value-added chemicals suitable for practical applications.

CoFe2O4 with the In-Situ Formed Oxygen Vacancies and Co Particles as an Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries.

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries (RZABs) are considered as one of the most promising clean energy device due to their abundant resources, low cost and environmental friendliness. However, their energy efficiency and cycle life are far from satisfactory due to the poor activity and stability of bi-functional electrocatalyst in air cathode. In this work, an efficient bi-functional catalyst (rGO-CoFe2O4/Co) was derived from its precursor (rGO-CoFe2O4) through a simple annealing process. Electrochemical measurements prove that rGO-CoFe2O4/Co with the in-situ formed Co nano particles and rich oxygen vacancies appears excellent oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction catalytic activity compared to its counterpart. Its half-wave potential is 0.81 V (vs RHE) and the OER overpotential is only 310 mV (vs RHE). In addition, rechargeable zinc-air batteries assembled with rGO-CoFe2O4/Co show the highest peak power density (128.9 mW cm-2) and cycling stability compared to rGO-CoFe2O4 and commercial Pt/C-RuO2 catalysts. This work provides a simple strategy for the design of advanced bifunctional catalysts.

Metal‐Organic Framework Materials as Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Rechargeable Zn‐Air Batteries

AbstractRechargeable Zn‐air batteries offer the advantages of environmental friendliness, safety, low prices and high energy density, and are highly valued. However, the major challenge faced by rechargeable Zn‐air batteries nowadays is the low energy efficiency due to the slow reaction kinetics of electrocatalyst at the air cathode. Bifunctional catalysts are key to the development of Zn‐air batteries by improving their overall performance and long‐term cycling stability. Metal‐organic framework (MOF) materials have shown great benefits as oxygen electrocatalysts in promoting oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This paper reviews the recent advances of three kinds of MOF materials as bifunctional catalysts for rechargeable Zn‐air batteries. Additionally, this paper also discusses the synthetic design strategy of MOF composite derivatives, and concludes by suggesting the application of MOF materials in the field of rechargeable Zn‐air batteries.

Innovative Air Cathode with Ni-Doped Cobalt Sulfide in Highly Ordered Macroporous Carbon Matrix for Rechargeable Zn-Air Battery.

To realize the practical application of rechargeable Zn-Air batteries (ZABs), it is imperative to develop a non-noble metal-based electrocatalyst with high electrochemical performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, Ni-doped Co9S8 nanoparticles dispersed on an inverse opal-structured N, S co-doped carbon matrix (IO─NixCo9-xS8@NSC) as a bifunctional electrocatalyst is presented. The unique 3D porous structure, arranged in an inverse opal pattern, provides a large active surface area. Also, the conductive carbon substrate ensures the homogeneous dispersion of NixCo9-xS8 nanocrystals, preventing aggregation and increasing the exposure of active sites. The introduction of heteroatom dopants into the Co9S8 structure generates defect sites and enhances surface polarity, thereby improving electrocatalytic performance in alkaline solutions. Consequently, the IO─NixCo9-xS8@NSC shows excellent bifunctional activity with a high half-wave potential of 0.926V for ORR and a low overpotential of 289mV at 10mA cm-2 for OER. Moreover, the rechargeable ZAB assembled with prepared electrocatalyst exhibits a higher specific capacity (768 mAh gZn -1), peak power density (180.2mW cm-2), and outstanding stability (over 160h) compared to precious metal-based electrocatalyst.

Tailoring the Heterointerfaces of Earth-Abundant Transition-Metal Nanoclusters on Nickel Oxide Nanosheets for Enhanced Overall Water Splitting through Electronic Structure Optimization.

Evolving highly competent and economical electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis is crucial in renewable hydrogen energy technologies. The slow hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics under alkaline electrolytes, still, has troubled developments in high-performance green hydrogen production systems. Herein, we demonstrate the tailoring of the interface of earth-abundant transition-metal nanoclusters (MNCs), including iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) nanoclusters on nickel oxide nanosheets (M NCs|NiO NS) through metal-support interaction for enriched overall water splitting under an alkaline electrolyte. The strong metal-metal oxide interaction allows alteration of the binding capabilities of hydrogen ions (*H) and hydroxyl ions (*OH) on Ni electrodes. Specifically, the robust interaction between Fe and NiO reveals optimized binding of H* and OH* energies, facilitating the water-splitting reaction under an alkaline electrolyte. In addition, the improved HER/OER catalytic activity is attained with the Fe NCs|NiO NS with small overpotentials of ∼62.0 and ∼380.0 mV for the HER and OER, respectively, a high mass activity of ∼90.0 A g-1, a turnover frequency of ∼5.94 s-1, and long-lasting stability via offering abundant electrochemical active sites, three-dimensional (3D) morphologies, and high dispersion of nanoclusters that provide effective charge and mass transport processes. This study provides a promising strategy for the effective design of efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts based on earth-abundant materials for alkaline water electrolyzers.

Regulating the electronic structure of nickel phosphides via interface engineering and molybdenum doping boosts benzyl alcohol oxidation coupled with hydrogen production

Coupling the electrocatalytic benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction (BAOR) with hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) presents a favorable energy conversion method. However, the development of highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts poses significant challenges. In this study, a Mo doped biphasic Ni2P-Ni12P5 heterostructure (Mo-Ni2P/Ni12P5@NF) has been developed to serve as the efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst. The Mo-Ni2P/Ni12P5@NF resulted in exceptional activities for both the BAOR and HER. The electrolyzer cell using Mo-Ni2P/Ni12P5@NF as anode and cathode operates at an impressively low cell voltage of merely 1.38 V to achieve the current density of 10 mA cm−2 in a benzyl alcohol-containing aqueous solution. Experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the introduction of Mo can significantly modulate the electronic structure of Ni-based phosphide catalysts and adjust for the d-band center of the active Ni sites. This modulation significantly optimizes the adsorption capabilities for both benzyl alkoxide (Ph-CH2O-) and the H* intermediates on Mo-Ni2P/Ni12P5@NF, thereby increasing electrocatalytic activity toward BAOR and HER respectively. Our work offers a valuable insight into designing bifunctional electrocatalysts and highlights the potential of Mo doping systems to produce hydrogen and value-added products efficiently.

Fabrication of Amorphous CoMoP Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting through Interfacial Engineering on a NiMoO4-Decorated Polyester Textile

Fabrication of Amorphous CoMoP Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting through Interfacial Engineering on a NiMoO₄-Decorated Polyester Textile

Cutting-Edge PCN-ZnO Nanocomposites with Experimental and DFT Insights into Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) and PCN-ZnO nanocomposites are promising candidates for catalysis, particularly for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). However, their catalytic efficiency requires enhancement to fully realize their potential. This study aims to improve the HER performance of PCN by synthesizing PCN-ZnO nanocomposites using melamine as a precursor. Two synthesis methods were employed: thermal condensation (Method 1) and liquid exfoliation (Method 2). Method 1 resulted in a composite with a 2.44 eV energy gap and reduced particle size, with significantly enhanced performance as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for simultaneous hydrogen and oxygen production. In contrast, Method 2 produced a nanocomposite with an enhanced surface area and a minor alteration in the band gap. In alkaline electrolytes, the PCN-ZnO0.4 nanocomposite synthesized with Method 1 exhibited high HER performance with an overpotential of 281 mV, outperforming pristine PCN (382 mV) and ZnO (302 mV), along with improved oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. Further analysis in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer using PCN-ZnO0.4 nanocomposite as both the anode and cathode demonstrated its promise as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations explained the enhanced catalytic activity of the PCN-ZnO nanocomposite, confirming that hydrogen evolution occurs through the Heyrovsky process, consistent with experimental results. Notably, the solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency of the PCN-ZnO nanocomposite was four times greater, at 21.7% compared to 5.2% for the PCN monolayer, underscoring its potential for efficient solar-driven hydrogen production. This work paves the way for future advancements in the design of high-performance electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications.

Design Strategy for an Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst (IS-NiFeNC) for Overall and Solar-Cell Water Splitting

Design Strategy for an Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst (IS-NiFeNC) for Overall and Solar-Cell Water Splitting

Superhydrophilicity and superaerophobicity Ni/Ni3S4/1T-MoS2 for hydrazine-assisted seawater splitting

The overall hydrazine splitting (OHzS) is a promising strategy to achieve the efficient hydrogen production in seawater through replacing the slow kinetic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and toxic chlorine evolution reaction (ClOR) by hydrazine oxidation (HzOR). We report an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst of Ni/Ni3S4/1T-MoS2 on carbon cloth (Ni/Ni3S4/1T-MoS2/CC), which was formed from large layer spacing MoS2 and Ni3S4 with metal-Ni, and was applied as for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and HzOR. The MoS2 had expanded interlayer spacing and showed 1T phase, with significantly improved conductivity and hydrophilicity, which promotes transfer process of reactants. Furthermore, the introduction of Ni/Ni3S4 on the 1T-MoS2 base surface leaded to superhydrophilic and superaerophobic properties, which makes it more conducive to the adsorption of H. The improvement of electrical conductivity induced the excellent HER and HzOR electrocatalytic properties of Ni/Ni3S4/1T-MoS2/CC, which showed an ultralow overpotential of 24 mV and working potential of 0 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, respectively. Inspiringly, Ni/Ni3S4/1T-MoS2/CC also showed excellent performance in hydrazine-assisted alkaline seawater electrolysis, as well as solar panel powered electrolysis of seawater OHzS, therefore, exhibiting great potential for practical applications.