A New Member of Electrocatalysts Based on Nickel Metaphosphate Nanocrystals for Efficient Water Oxidation

Abstract

High-performance electrocatalysts are desired for electrochemical energy conversion, especially in the field of water splitting. Here, a new member of phosphate electrocatalysts, nickel metaphosphate (Ni₂P₄O₁₂) nanocrystals, is reported, exhibiting low overpotential of 270 mV to generate the current density of 10 mA cm⁻² and a superior catalytic durability of 100 h. It is worth noting that Ni₂P₄O₁₂ electrocatalyst has remarkable oxygen evolution performance operating in basic media. Further experimental and theoretical analyses demonstrate that N dopant boosts the catalytic performance of Ni₂P₄O₁₂ due to optimizing the surface electronic structure for better charge transfer and decreasing the adsorption energy for the oxygenic intermediates.

A new type of nickel metaphosphate nanocrystal electrocatalyst exhibits high oxygen evolution reaction performance due to exposed active facets. Experimental and theoretical analyses demonstrate that N doping further boosts the catalytic activity via modifying the electronic structure and facilitating the formation of OO bonding.

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