Abstract:
The exploration and development of efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are crucial but challenging for addressing the energy crisis and environmental pollution. In this paper, a self-supporting electrode composed of ultrathin ceria and cobalt phosphide nanosheets (CeO
2-CoP/NF) was designed and fabricated on a three-dimensional nickel foam substrate. At 10 mA·cm
−2, the hydrogen evolution overpotential of CeO
2-CoP/NF is 124 mV and 142 mV at 1 mol/L KOH and 0.5 mol/L H
2SO
4, respectively. In addition, CeO
2-CoP/NF can also demonstrate superior OER activity at 100 mA·cm
−2, exhibiting an oxygen evolution overpotential of 328 mV in 1 mol/L KOH, and also has superior cycle stability. The experimental results show that the introduction of CeO
2 can reduce the erosion of the electrolyte and significantly improve the electrochemical performance of the CoP material. This work provides new insights into the development of high-performance electrocatalysts for water splitting.