Boosting Electrocatalytic Activities of Pt-Based Mesoporous Nanoparticles for Overall Water Splitting by a Facile Ni, P Co-Incorporation Strategy

The exploration of highly efficient catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen and oxygen production via water splitting is very significant for providing affordable clean energy and reducing the reliance on conventional fossil fuels. Herein, we develop an efficient method to boost the electrocatalytic performance of Pt mesoporous nanoparticles (Pt MNs) for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by a facile Ni, P co-incorporation strategy. The co-incorporation of Ni and P atoms in a Pt crystal structure can effectively modify its electronic structure, which contributes to the superior catalytic ability toward HER. We also demonstrate that the as-fabricated PtNiP MNs could occur surface partial oxidation under oxidizing potentials to in situ form OER electroactive oxides/hydroxides species. The unique mesoporous structure and metal–nonmetal ternary alloyed composition make the PtNiP MNs a promising HER–OER bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting in alkaline media.