Premium
Phosphorus and Yttrium Codoped Co(OH)F Nanoarray as Highly Efficient and Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Overall Water Splitting
Author(s) -
Zhang Gengwei,
Wang Bin,
Li Lu,
Yang Shengchun
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201904105
Subject(s) - overpotential , water splitting , bifunctional , yttrium , materials science , oxygen evolution , cathode , anode , electrode , electrocatalyst , inorganic chemistry , catalysis , chemical engineering , chemistry , electrochemistry , metallurgy , oxide , biochemistry , photocatalysis , engineering
Abstract Rational design and synthesis of bifunctional electrocatalysts with high efficiency and low‐cost for overall water splitting is still a challenge. A simple approach is reported to prepare a phosphorus and yttrium codoped cobalt hydroxyfluoride (YP‐Co(OH)F) nanoarray on nickel foam, which displays high‐performance for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline solution. The codoping of yttrium and phosphorus into Co(OH)F leads to a tuned electronic environment and favorable electron transfer, thus resulting in superior water splitting activity. The YP‐Co(OH)F electrode only requires an overpotential of 238 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm −2 (η 10 ), much smaller than RuO 2 (302 mV). Moreover, it displays an overpotential of 55 mV at η 10 for HER, similar to that of Pt/C. When YP‐Co(OH)F is used as both anode and cathode in a two‐electrode configuration, it only demands a cell potential of 1.54 V at η 10 , lower than the IrO 2 ||Pt/C couple (1.6 V) as well as other recently reported electrocatalysts. It even maintains stable water splitting for 300 h. Such a two‐electrode device can be easily driven by a 1.5 V silicon solar cell in sunlight, proving the potential of the promising catalyst for large‐scale electrolytic water splitting.