Dual Interfacial Engineering of Cracked NiCoP Electrode with Directed Bubbling for Efficient and Stable Hydrogen Evolution

Constructing stable electrodes is the premise of practical water electrolysis. Unfortunately, the catalytic performance under industrial conditions encounters critical challenges in bubble dynamics, wherein the violent bubble accumulation not only blocks active sites against reactants but also induces excessive stress upon detachment, leading to catalyst delamination from substrates. Here, a substrate-strengthened and crack-configured NiCoP electrode is developed, which features robust catalyst-substrate binding strength and weakened adhesion at the catalyst-bubble interface. The precisely engineered dual interfaces enable improved mechanical stability, facilitated bubble desorption, and optimized reaction kinetics for high-rate hydrogen evolution. The catalyst exhibited an ultra-low overpotential of 288 mV at 1000 mA cm-2, with robust stability over 200 h. Furthermore, when served in an anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE), a minimized cell voltage of 1.76 V is recorded at 1000 mA cm-2 and operated stably for 150 h. This work provides intriguing concepts for designing electrodes toward industrial green hydrogen applications.