Facile <i>in situ</i> synthesis of a carbon quantum dot/graphene heterostructure as an efficient metal-free electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

Abstract

A metal-free carbon quantum dot (CQD)/graphene hybrid was in situ synthesized through a simple novel two-step procedure. The hybrid showed superior HER and OER activity attributed to synergistic effects between the defect-rich CQDs and conducting graphene support.