Heterogeneous Ni-Boride/Phosphide Anchored Amorphous B-C Layer for Overall Water Electrocatalysis

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient and economical bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water electrolysis is crucial but challenging.
• Existing catalysts often struggle with performance, stability, or cost-effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.
• To enhance electrocatalytic activity and stability through synergistic effects and hierarchical porous structures.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Ni-boride/phosphide particles anchored on an amorphous B-doped carbon layer with hierarchical porous characteristics in Ni foam (Ni3P/Ni3B/B-C/NF).
• Utilized electroplating and electroless plating with Boroncarbide (B4C) followed by vacuum high-temperature annealing.
• Characterization of the material's structure and electrochemical performance for water splitting.

Main Results:

• The Ni3P/Ni3B/B-C/NF electrode exhibited low overpotentials of 212 mV for HER and 280 mV for OER at 100 mA cm⁻².
• The bifunctional electrocatalyst demonstrated excellent long-term stability for 48 hours.
• An electrolyzer using this catalyst required only 1.59 V at 50 mA cm⁻² for overall water splitting in an alkaline medium.

Conclusions:

• The developed Ni3P/Ni3B/B-C/NF material is a highly efficient and stable bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.
• The synergistic effect between Ni-boride/phosphide and the B-doped carbon layer, along with the hierarchical porous structure, significantly enhances catalytic activity.
• This work offers a promising pathway for developing transition metal boride-based catalysts for efficient hydrogen production.