Reactive template-derived interfacial engineering of CoP/CoO heterostructured porous nanotubes towards superior electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The development of economical,efficient,and robust electrocatalysts toward the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)is highly imperative for the rapid advancement of renewable H2 energy-associated technologies.Extensive utilization of the heterointerface effect can endow the catalysts with remarkably boosted electrocatalytic performance due to the modified electronic state of active sites.Herein,we demonstrate deliberate crafting of CoP/CoO heterojunction porous nanotubes(abbreviated as CoP/CoO PNTs hereafter)using a self-sacrificial template-engaged strategy.Precise control over the Kirkendall diffusion process of the presynthesized cobalt–aspartic acid complex nanowires is indispensable for the formation of CoP/CoO heterostructures.The topochemical transformation strategy of the reactive templates enables uniform and maximized construction of CoP/CoO heterojunctions throughout all the porous nanotubes.The establishment of CoP/CoO heterojunctions could considerably modify the electronic configuration of the active sites and also improve the electric conductivity,which endows the resultant CoP/CoO PNTs with enhanced intrinsic activity.Simultaneously,the hollow and porous nanotube architectures allow sufficient accessibility of exterior/interior surfaces and molecular permeability,drastically promoting the reaction kinetics.Consequently,when used as HER electrocatalysts,the well-designed CoP/CoO PNTs show Pt-like activity,with an overpotential of only 61 mV at 10mA cm^(−2) and excellent stability in 1.0M KOH medium,exceeding those of the vast majority of the previously reported nonprecious candidates.Density functional theory calculations further substantiate that the construction of CoP/CoO heterojunctions enables optimization of the Gibbs free energies for water adsorption and H adsorption,resulting in boosted HER intrinsic activity.The present study may provide in-depth insights into the fundamental mechanisms of heterojunction-induced electronic regulation,which may pave the way for the rational design of advanced Earth-abundant electrocatalysts in the future.