Hierarchical Mesoporous MXene–NiCoP Electrocatalyst for Water-Splitting

Abstract

The utilization of nonprecious metal electrocatalysts for water-splitting may be the ultimate solution for sustainable and clean hydrogen energy. MXene, an emerging two-dimensional material, exhibits many unique properties such as possible metal-like conductivity, hydrophilic surface, and rich chemistry, rendering a group of promising catalysts and catalyst support materials. In this study, exfoliated Ti₃C₂ MXenes serve as a substrate to perpendicularly grow uniform mesoporous NiCoP nanosheets through an in situ interface-growth strategy and subsequent phosphorization. The obtained Ti₃C₂@mNiCoP materials with a stable hierarchical sandwich structure possess excellent conductivity, large surface area, and uniform mesopores with high pore volume. With these beneficial properties, the Ti₃C₂@mNiCoP material exhibits superior overall water-splitting performance compared with that of its building-block counterparts, matching the state-of-the-art water-splitting electrocatalysts.