Construction of Hierarchical Co–Fe Oxyphosphide Microtubes for Electrocatalytic Overall Water Splitting

Abstract

Development of efficient electrocatalysts is a crucial requirement to build water splitting systems for the production of clean and sustainable fuels. This goal could be achieved by fine-tuning the composition and structure of the electrocatalytic materials. Here, a facile self-templated synthetic strategy is developed for the fabrication of hierarchical Co–Fe oxyphosphide microtubes (MTs). Fe-based metal–organic compound microrods are first synthesized as the self-sacrificing template. Afterward, the Fe-based precursors are converted into hierarchical Co–Fe layered double hydroxide MTs through a hydrothermal approach, which are then transformed into the hierarchical Co–Fe oxyphosphide MTs by a phosphidation treatment. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of the compositions and the advantages of the hierarchical hollow structure, the obtained electrocatalyst exhibits enhanced performance for overall water splitting.