CeO2 decorated bimetallic phosphide nanosheet as efficient catalyst towards water splitting reaction

Developing low-cost and high-performance electrocatalysts for water splitting is crucial for hydrogen production. In this study, a high-performance hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) bifunctional electrocatalyst is developed by introducing oxygen-deficient CeO 2 nanoparticles on (Ni, Co) 2 P nanosheets. The introduction of defective CeO 2 modulates the electronic structure of the CeO 2 @(Ni, Co) 2 P/NF interface, which offers a synergistic effect promoting the HER/OER reaction in the alkaline water splitting process. Specifically, the CeO 2 @(Ni, Co) 2 P/NF electrode exhibits an overpotential of 151 mV for HER and 257 mV for OER at current density of 100 mA·cm −2 . In the overall water electrolysis test, it exhibits excellent stability performance at a cell voltage of 1.70 V around 100 mA·cm −2 . This work shows an alternative strategy for the development of active bifunctional water splitting electrocatalysts.