Unique ping-pong daisy-like catalysts: Efficient overall hydrolysis catalysis driven by vanadium-doped Fe2P and Co3(PO4)2 nanosheet composites

Balancing catalytic activity and durability remains a challenge in the development of high performance, inexpensive and durable electrocatalysts. In this study, fully hydrolyzed composite catalyst V–Fe2P@Co3(PO4)2/NF with ping-pong daisy-like morphology was synthesized using conventional hydrothermal and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. In alkaline electrolyte, V–Fe2P@Co3(PO4)2/NF showed excellent electrochemical performance, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm−2 when the driving overpotentials for the hydrogen production reaction (HER) and oxidation reaction (OER) were 56 mV and 178 mV, respectively. Meanwhile, V–Fe2P@Co3(PO4)2/NF demonstrated good durability in terms of both HER and OER stability. Furthermore, the driving voltage required for the electrolyser assembled with V–Fe2P@Co3(PO4)2/NF as the electrode is lower than that of the RuO2/NF||Pt/C/NF electrode, both of which have driving voltages of 1.503 and 1.562 V (10 mA cm−2), respectively. Meanwhile, it achieves a Faraday efficiency of 95%. This study offers a feasible solution towards synthesizing and applying bifunctional water decomposition electrocatalysts.