FeCoNiB Nanoparticles Anchoring on Vertically Aligned B-Doped Graphene Array as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting

Research on cost-effective and high-efficient catalysts for overall water splitting is urgent, and iron group metal borides (IMBs) are a promising candidate. Here, FeCoNiB nanoparticles anchoring on vertically aligned B-doped graphene array (FeCoNiB/BVG) by electroless plating are synthesized for overall water splitting, and FeCoNiB nanoparticles anchoring on other heteroatom-doped graphene substrates (FeCoNiB/XVG, X = N, P, S, O) are prepared for comparison. FeCoNiB/BVG exhibits the best performance with HER and OER overpotential of only 88 mV and 149 mV in 1.0 M KOH, respectively. And FeCoNiB/BVG has a very strong stability for 15 h and the Faraday efficiency of about 94%. The XPS results prove that the best performance of FeCoNiB/BVG is due to the synergistic effect between B in BVG and B in FeCoNiB. This work provides a reference for the rational design of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts and promotes the application of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts in the water electrolysis industry.