Exploring Zn doped NiBP microspheres as efficient and stable electrocatalyst for industrial-scale water splitting

摘要

Green hydrogen holds great promise for the future energy ecosystem and designing alternative electrocatalysts is essential for industrial-scale green hydrogen production for high-current water splitting under industrial conditions.Herein,the Zn-doped NiBP microsphere electrocatalyst is fabricated via a multi-stepprocess combining hydrothermal and electrochemical approaches,followed by post-annealing.The optimized Zn/NiBP electrode outperforms the majority of previously reported catalysts,with low overpotentials of 95 mV for HER （hydrogen evolution reaction） and 280 mV for OER （oxygen evolution reaction） at 100 mA·cm^-2 in 1 mol·L^-1 KOH.The bifunctional Zn/NiBP||Zn/NiBP demonstrates a 3.10 V cell voltage at 2000 mA·cm^-2 in 1 mol·L^-1 KOH,surpassing the benchmark Pt/C||RuO₂ systems.The Pt/C||Zn/NiBP hybrid system exhibits exceptionally low cell voltages of 2.50 and 2.30 V at 2000mA·cm^-2 in 1 and 6 mol·L^-1 KOH respectively,demonstrating excellent overall water-splitting performance under challenging industrial conditions.Furthermore,the 2-E system shows remarkable stability over 120 hours at 1000 mA·cm^-2in 1 and 6 mol·L^-1 KOH,indicating the robust anti-corrosion properties of the Zn/NiBP microspheres.Zn-doped Ni BP microspheres exhibit enhanced electrochemical conductivity,active surface area and intrinsic electrocatalytic activity due to synergistic interactions among Zn,Ni,B and P,enabling rapid charge transfer and superior electrocatalytic performance for efficient hydrogen generation.

关键词

High current / Zn-doping / Hydrogen generation / Electrocatalyst / Hybrid electrocatalyst

基金资助

supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (No. RS-2018-NR031063); in part by the Research Grant of Kwangwoon University in 2025