FeNi alloys incorporated N-doped carbon nanotubes as efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst with phase-dependent activity for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions

Electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are two important half-cell reactions for overall water splitting. The rational design and fabrication of efficient electrocatalysts involving nonprecious-metals and carbon matrix is highly attractive. Herein, a series of N-doped carbon nanotubes encapsulated FeNi alloy nanoparticles (FeNi@NCNTs) are synthesized via a simple pyrolysis treatment of Fe-doped Ni(OH)2 precursors under the assistance of dicyandiamine source. The results reveal that the Fe/Ni ratio has an obvious influence on the morphology and phase composition of FeNi@NCNTs series, thus affecting the electrocatalytic performance. The highest electrocatalytic activity is achieved for the Fe1Ni4@NCNTs product with a Fe/Ni molar ratio of 1:4, which delivers low overpotentials of 278 and 279 mV for OER and HER at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 mol/L KOH, respectively. The intriguing electrocatalytic performance is mainly ascribed to the advantageous integration of rambutan-like hierarchically porous structure and composition optimization, significantly facilitating the fast mass/charge transfer as well as promoting the adsorption ability for intermediates. The present method may open a facile avenue for developing cost-effective, high-activity, and stable electrocatalysts for the application of overall water splitting.