Dual activating CeFe/NF heterostructure by cobalt doping and low Pt modification for efficient overall water splitting

The construction and design of efficient, low-cost and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts are crucial for the industrial application of electrocatalysts in the field of overall water splitting. Herein, Ce-FeCo with hierarchical structure was prepared using a simple hydrothermal technique, and low-content Pt modification was performed using electrodeposition technology. In order to obtain 10 mA cm −2 , Pt-Ce-FeCo/NF-2 only requires overpotentials of 106 mV and 155 mV for HER and OER. More interestingly, the electrolyzer using the Pt-Ce-FeCo/NF-2 as both cathode and anode merely requires the low overall water splitting voltage of 1.49 V to reach 10 mA cm −2 , which is lower than the 1.54 V of commercial Pt/C//IrO 2 :RuO 2 , and exhibits excellent stability at 100 mA cm −2 for 48 h. The remarkable electrocatalytic performance of Pt-Ce-FeCo/NF-2 could be ascribed to the flower-like hierarchical structure, uniform dispersion of Pt clusters as well as the cooperative electronic coupling between Pt clusters and transition metals. This work provides a simple and promising pathway for the synthesis of economical and efficient electrocatalysts and deepens the understanding of low Pt modification in promoting the overall water splitting performance of transition metal-based catalysts. • Pt-Ce-FeCo/NF-2 bifunctional electrocatalyst was successfully synthesized on NF. • Pt-Ce-FeCo/NF-2 exhibited distinguished HER and OER activity and good stability. • Pt-Ce-FeCo/NF-2//Pt-Ce-FeCo/NF-2 only required low voltage of 1.49 V@10 mA cm −2 .