FeNi3-Fe3O4 heterogeneous nanoparticles anchored on 2D MOF nanosheets/1D CNTs matrix as highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting

It is still challengeable to develop a non-precious bifunctional electrocatalysts for both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, with higher efficiency and superior durability over the benchmark noble metal-based electrocatalysts. To address such issues, for the first time, we design and synthesize FeNi3-Fe3O4 heterogeneous nanoparticles homogenous-ly anchored on a matrix of MOF nanosheets and carbon nanotubes (FeNi3-Fe3O4 NPs/MOF-CNT), by a facile hydro-thermal reaction and subsequent partial decomposition of a low-cost and earth-abundant Ni/Fe/C precursor. Due to its unique porous nanoarchitecture constructed by ultrafine nanoparticles anchored on 2D nanosheets/1D CNTs matrix, it can be employed as a bifunctional electrocatalyst with superior electrocatalytic activity for water splitting: it delivers a small Tafel slope of 37 mV/dec for OER and requires only a very low overpotential of 234 mV to obtain 10 mA cm-2; it has very low overpotential of 108 mV for HER and also shows an ultra-low overpotenti...