Phosphorus-Doped 3D RuCo Nanowire Arrays on Nickel Foam with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity for Overall Water Splitting

Abstract

It is especially significant to design and construct high-performance and stable three-dimensional (3D) bifunctional nanoarchitecture electrocatalysts toward overall water splitting. Herein, we have constructed 3D self-supported phosphorus-doped ruthenium-cobalt nanowires on nickel foams (RuCoP/NF) via a simple hydrothermal reaction followed by a low-temperature phosphating reaction. Doping P can not merely enhance the intrinsic activity of electrocatalysts for overall water splitting but at the same time increase electrochemical surface areas (ECSAs) to expose more accessible active sites. As a 3D bifunctional catalyst, RuCoP/NF demonstrates superior performance for HER (44 mV@10 mA cm-2) and OER (379 mV@50 mA cm-2) in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte solution. The overall water-splitting system was assembled using RuCoP/NF as both anode and cathode. Besides, it exhibits a voltage of 1.533 V at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and long-term durability within 24 h. P-dopant changes the electron structure of Ru and Co, which is conducive to the formation of Ruδ- and Coδ+, resulting in the adjustment of binding H*/OH∗ and the improvement of the overall water-splitting reaction kinetics. This work provides a facile method to produce heteroatom-doped and high-performance catalysts for efficient overall water splitting.