Ni activated Mo_2C nanoparticles supported on stereotaxically-constructed graphene for efficient overall water splitting

摘要

Exploring cost-effective, high-efficiency and stable electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is greatly desirable and challenging for sustainable energy. Herein, a novel designed Ni activated molybdenum carbide nanoparticle loaded on stereotaxicallyconstructed graphene (SCG) using two steps facile strategy (hydrothermal and carbonization) as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. The optimized Ni/ Mo2C(1:20)-SCG composites exhibit excellent performance with a low overpotential of 150 mV and 330 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively to obtain a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) in 1.0 M KOH solution. In addition, when the optimized Ni/Mo2C(1:20)-SCG composite is used as a bifunctional electrode for overall water splitting, the electrochemical cell required a low cell voltage of 1.68 Vat a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) and long-term stability of 24 h. More significantly, the synergetic effects between Ni-activated Mo2C nanoparticles and SCG are regarded as a significant contributor to accelerate charge transfer and promote electrocatalytic performance in hybrid electrocatalysts. Our works introduce a novel approach to design advanced bifunctional electrodes for overall water splitting. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC.