Issue 8, 2015

Ni2P as a Janus catalyst for water splitting: the oxygen evolution activity of Ni2P nanoparticles

Abstract

Electrochemical water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen is a promising method for solar energy storage. The development of efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting has drawn much attention. However, catalysts that are active for both the hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions are rare. Herein, we show for the first time that nickel phosphide (Ni2P), an excellent hydrogen evolving catalyst, is also highly active for oxygen evolution. A current density of 10 mA cm−2 is generated at an overpotential of only 290 mV in 1 M KOH. The high activity is attributed to the core–shell (Ni2P/NiOx) structure that the material adopts under catalytic conditions. The Ni2P nanoparticles can serve as both cathode and anode catalysts for an alkaline electrolyzer, which generates 10 mA cm−2 at 1.63 V.

Graphical abstract: Ni2P as a Janus catalyst for water splitting: the oxygen evolution activity of Ni2P nanoparticles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
13 Apr 2015
Accepted
09 Jun 2015
First published
09 Jun 2015

Energy Environ. Sci., 2015,8, 2347-2351

Author version available

Ni2P as a Janus catalyst for water splitting: the oxygen evolution activity of Ni2P nanoparticles

L. Stern, L. Feng, F. Song and X. Hu, Energy Environ. Sci., 2015, 8, 2347 DOI: 10.1039/C5EE01155H

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