Modulating Local Electronic Structure via Cluster Engineering on Cobalt Phosphide for Efficient Water/Seawater Splitting

Developing high-performance, cost-effective electrocatalysts for large-scale water/seawater electrolysis is highly desirable, yet remains a significant challenge. Herein, oxidized iron nanocluster-decorated cobalt phosphide (FeOx-ACs/CoxP) is designed and explored for water splitting. These oxidized iron nanoclusters provide an optimal thermodynamic environment that enhances electron-transfer capability due to the Fe-O-Co bridge at the interface. They donate electrons to nearby Co and P sites, tuning their coordination environment and enhancing electron-transfer capability. As a result, FeOx-ACs/CoxP exhibits outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance with a low overpotential of 278 mV at 100 mA cm⁻² and remarkable durability over 100 h at 100 mA cm⁻². Mechanism investigation reveals the formation of high-valence Co active center and the optimized adsorbate evolution mechanism (AEM) pathway for OER. The formation of *O is identified as the rate-determining step (RDS) for FeOx-ACs/CoxP with the lowest energy barrier. Moreover, FeOx-ACs/CoxP shows promise for alkaline natural seawater electrolysis, requiring only 298 mV at 100 mA cm⁻² with over 100 h stability. An anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEM-WE) device using FeOx-ACs/CoxP and Pt/C achieves a low voltage of 1.85 V at 500 mA cm⁻². This work demonstrates the potential of a precise nanocluster engineering strategy in enhancing the electrocatalytic performance for water splitting.