Efficient Electrocatalytic Overall Water Splitting on a Cu-Based High Entropy Alloy: An Electrochemical Study

Abstract

The development of active, durable, cost-effective, and stable electrocatalysts are of urgent need for various industrial fields including renewable energy systems. State-of-the-art catalysts suffer from poor water splitting activity in alkaline media due to sluggish kinetics, high cost and scarcity on earth to be scaled up. Herein, we present an electrochemical analysis of a nanostructured electrocatalyst based on face center cubic Cu-Ni-Fe-Co-Cr high entropy alloy (HEA) with quasi-spherical morphology. Single-phase, face-center cubic HEA was prepared by a one-step electrochemical deposition technique on a highly porous nickel substrate. Electrochemical studies determine the enhanced electrocatalytic activity of HEA induced by the synergistic effect of mixed transition metals. It is shown that the performance of the HEA electrocatalyst for both oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction is superior to recently reported electrocatalysts for overall water splitting. Benefiting from its long-term durability, the material can pave a way to develop high-performance electrocatalysts for full electrochemical water splitting.