Encapsulating dual-phase WC-W2C nanoparticles into hollow carbon dodecahedrons for all-pH electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Designing robust and reliable pH-universal electrocatalyst for H2 production is highly desirable for industrial water splitting, but still remains great challenge. Herein, dual-phase WC-W2C nanocrystals embedded into hollow carbon dodecahedrons (denoted as WC-W2C/HCDs) is obtained via a template-engaged method. Combining hollow structure and befitting phase compositions, dual-phase WC-W2C/HCDs exhibits competitive HER activities, requiring only 96, 148 and 116 mV overpotentials to drive 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2SO4, 1.0 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), and 1.0 M KOH, respectively, which displays superior activity toward the HER to the single-phase WC/HCDs and W2C/HCDs. Meanwhile, it also exhibits an exceptionally durability in 0.5 M H2SO4 acid electrolyte, showing insignificant degradation over 150 h of H2 production, as well as durable in neutral and alkaline conditions. Such excellent HER ability is benefit from the heterointerfaces between WC and W2C that yield the strong electronic coupling interactions, providing beneficial sites for both intermediate H* adsorption energy and water dissociation. Moreover, the hollow carbon dodecahedrons exhibit overall enhancement in electrical conductivity, exposure of catalytic active sites, long-term durability in wide range of pH (0–14). This strategy may open up a new possibility for the rational design of dual-phase carbide and others electrocatalysts toward pH-universal H2 production.