Anionic phosphorous and sulfur regulate self-supported Ni-Fe-based electrocatalyst for water-splitting under large current density

Nickel-iron based (Ni-Fe) catalysts are widely used in the electrolysis of water due to their high activity and low cost. However, the development of highly active non-precious metal catalysts is still a great challenge. Herein, self-supported nickel–iron phosphide is fabricated through a sulfurization/phosphorization approach (Ni-Fe-P-S-1/Ni-Fe-P-S-2). The prepared catalysts show excellent catalytic performance and stability. The HER performance of Ni-Fe-P-S-1 reaches 500 mA cm−2 with small overpotentials of 289 mV in alkaline freshwater. Meanwhile, the Ni-Fe-P-S-2 requires 312 and 375 mV to reach 500 mA cm−2 in alkaline freshwater and alkaline seawater for OER. Remarkably, at the current density of 500 mA cm−2, the Ni-Fe-P-S-1||Ni-Fe-P-S-2 electrolyzer requires only 1.85 V in alkaline. Interestingly, sustainable energies can power the electrolyzer effectively. The work provides methods for potentially promising and cost-effective electrocatalysts.