In situ fabrication of nanostructured Au–Bi as high-efficient electrocatalyst for water splitting

It is essential that the development of efficient and excellent stability electrocatalysts for water oxidation , which could covert effectively renewable electricity to chemical energy . Herein, it is fabricated firstly in situ that a novel Au–B i anode oxygen-evolving catalyst with an outstanding catalytic performance for water splitting by electrolytic deposition from dilute AuCl 4 − solutions in potassium tetraborate electrolyte at pH 11. The H 2 generated for water splitting rate of the Au–B i is 116.38 μmol cm −2  h −1 and the Faradaic efficiency reaches 90.43% in 0.1 M tripotassium phosphate solution . Moreover, the main active component of the Au–B i is gold oxide (Au 2 O 3 ). What is more, this work expands the research on Au-based oxygen-evolving catalysts and provides increased insight into water splitting.