Carbon-incorporated Ni 2 P-Fe 2 P hollow nanorods as superior electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.

A rational design and cost-effective transition metal-based hollow nanostructures are important for sustainable energy materials with high efficiency. This study reports on carbon-incorporated Ni 2 P-Fe 2 P hollow nanorods ((Ni,Fe) 2 P/C HNRs) derived from a self-template approach as efficient electrocatalysts. Initially, a Ni 2 (BDC) 2 (DABCO)-MOF (Ni-MOF) is converted to NiFe-PBA hollow nanorods (HNRs) through facile ion exchange which was further converted to (Ni,Fe) 2 P/C HNRs via a subsequent phosphidation process. The resulting (Ni,Fe) 2 P/C HNRs exhibit remarkable activity for the oxygen evolution reaction in an alkaline solution requiring a small overpotential of 258 mV to drive a current density of 10 mA cm -2 and long-term stability with little deactivation after 40 h. (Ni,Fe) 2 P/C HNRs outperform (Ni,Fe) 2 P/C NPs and commercial RuO 2 . The unique hollow morphology and interfacial electronic structure substantially increase the active site and charge transfer rate of our electrocatalyst, resulting in excellent OER activity and stability.