Interfacial Co–Ni Dual‐Site Synergy in Confined Co 9 S 8 –Ni 3 S 2 Heterostructures for Electrocatalytic Water Splitting

Although heazlewoodite‐type nickel sulfide (Ni 3 S 2 ) exhibits promising hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, its application in overall water splitting remains limited by sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics associated with insufficient water activation. Herein, Co 9 S 8 –Ni 3 S 2 heterostructures confined in nitrogen‐rich spongy carbons are constructed to regulate interfacial electronic properties and unlock Co–Ni catalytic synergy for efficient water electrolysis. A melamine sponge is employed as a 3D scaffold to direct the spatial anchoring of Co 2+ and Ni 2+ precursors, followed by in situ sulfidation and carbonization to form a conductive porous carbon framework with confined sulfide heterointerfaces. The resulting heterointerfaces trigger significant spin polarization and electron redistribution from Ni 3 S 2 to Co 9 S 8 through interfacial Co–S–Ni configurations, thus activating the Co–Ni dual sites for enhanced water adsorption and dissociation. The catalyst exhibits outstanding bifunctional OER/HER activity and long‐term stability in alkaline media, while an alkaline electrolyzer assembled with the catalyst requires only 1.515 V to deliver 10 mA cm −2 . Moreover, in situ and ex situ analyses reveal dynamic reconstruction of the Co–Ni sites under OER conditions, continuously generating additional active centers and sustaining high catalytic activity. This work paves a new way for designing earth‐abundant and high‐performance heterostructured electrocatalysts toward green hydrogen production.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis
Published
2026-10-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adsc.70823
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Type
article
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article

Interfacial Co–Ni Dual‐Site Synergy in Confined Co 9 S 8 –Ni 3 S 2 Heterostructures for Electrocatalytic Water Splitting

Senchuan Huang, Kai‐Hang Ye, 曹阳飞, Baojiang Jiang et al.
Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
article

Interfacial Co–Ni Dual‐Site Synergy in Confined Co 9 S 8 –Ni 3 S 2 Heterostructures for Electrocatalytic Water Splitting

Senchuan Huang, Kai‐Hang Ye, 曹阳飞, Baojiang Jiang, Shanqing Zhang, Honghu Yao, Yuying Fan, Jianan Liu, Zichao Luo, Wenyi Chen
article en

Abstract

Although heazlewoodite‐type nickel sulfide (Ni 3 S 2 ) exhibits promising hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, its application in overall water splitting remains limited by sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics associated with insufficient water activation. Herein, Co 9 S 8 –Ni 3 S 2 heterostructures confined in nitrogen‐rich spongy carbons are constructed to regulate interfacial electronic properties and unlock Co–Ni catalytic synergy for efficient water electrolysis. A melamine sponge is employed as a 3D scaffold to direct the spatial anchoring of Co 2+ and Ni 2+ precursors, followed by in situ sulfidation and carbonization to form a conductive porous carbon framework with confined sulfide heterointerfaces. The resulting heterointerfaces trigger significant spin polarization and electron redistribution from Ni 3 S 2 to Co 9 S 8 through interfacial Co–S–Ni configurations, thus activating the Co–Ni dual sites for enhanced water adsorption and dissociation. The catalyst exhibits outstanding bifunctional OER/HER activity and long‐term stability in alkaline media, while an alkaline electrolyzer assembled with the catalyst requires only 1.515 V to deliver 10 mA cm −2 . Moreover, in situ and ex situ analyses reveal dynamic reconstruction of the Co–Ni sites under OER conditions, continuously generating additional active centers and sustaining high catalytic activity. This work paves a new way for designing earth‐abundant and high‐performance heterostructured electrocatalysts toward green hydrogen production.

Advanced Synthesis & CatalysisVol. 368(21)
Guangdong University of Technology (CN), Heilongjiang University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 35%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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