Atomic Pt‐Promoted Hierarchical CoP@CNTs‐Bridged CeO <sub>2</sub> –CoP Heterostructure‐Based Hollow Microcubes for Water Electrolysis
In this work, the electrocatalyst systems of CoP nanoparticles confined within carbon nanotubes are presented, which bridge CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP heterostructures embedded in nitrogen-doped hollow carbon nanocubes (CoP@CNTs/CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP@NCs) and further engineered with Pt single atom (Pt-CoP@CNTs/CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP@NCs). The Pt-CoP@CNTs/CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP@NCs catalyst exhibits outstanding performance for hydrogen and oxygen evolution in 1.0 m KOH medium. The two-electrode Pt-CoP@CNTs/CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP@NCs<sub>(-)</sub>||CoP@CNTs/CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP@NCs<sub>(+)</sub> configuration reaches a low cell voltage of 1.52 V in 30 wt.% KOH and 1.53 V in 1.0 m KOH. This system further demonstrates exceptionally high mass activity, ≈38.5-fold greater than that of commercial Pt/C<sub>(-)</sub>||RuO<sub>2(+)</sub>. The fabricated anion exchange membrane electrolyzer stack provides a stack voltage of 1.71/1.84/2.04 V at 0.5/1/2 A cm<sup>-2</sup> in 1.0 m KOH at 60 °C and excellent stability for over 1400 h. The CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP heterostructures-sealed nitrogen-doped hollow carbon nanocubes-bridged CoP@CNTs architecture owns a hierarchical structure with numerous metallic heterogeneous interfaces and efficient connection between different active phases to ensure abundant active sites, superb conductivity, short electron transfer pathways, and controlled adsorption/desorption of intermediates for rapid OER kinetics. In addition, the incorporation of a small Pt amount into CoP@CNTs/CeO<sub>2</sub>-CoP@NCs generates unique electronic properties to reach high catalytic HER performance, thereby yielding the efficient electrocatalyst systems for sustainable and economically viable water splitting.
Authors
- Joong Hee Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9281-0489)
- Kaixuan Dong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1147-600X)
- Saleem Sidra
- Xue Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9247-0584)
- Nam Hoon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5122-9567)
- Do Hwan Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3003-8125)
- Duy Thanh Tran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8076-7513)
Institutions
- Jeonju National University of Education (KR)
- Woosuk University (KR)
- Jeonbuk National University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Small
- Published
- 2025-10-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202507407
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.36