The stainless steel
mesh (SSM) has received growing consideration
as an electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen and oxygen evolution
reactions. Recently, the application of SSM as an oxygen evolution
reaction (OER) electrocatalyst has been more promising, while its
hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic activity is very low,
which definitely affects its overall water splitting activity. Herein,
a simple chemical bath deposition (CBD) method followed by phosphorization
is employed to significantly boost the overall water splitting performance
of SSM. The CBD method could allow the voids between the SSM fibers
to be filled with Ni and P. Electrocatalytic studies show that the
CBD-treated and phosphorized stainless steel (denoted SSM-Ni-P) exhibits
an HER overpotential of 149 mV, while the phosphorization-free CBD-treated
SSM (denoted as SSM-Ni) delivers an OER overpotential of 223 mV, both
at a current density of 10 mA cm–2. An asymmetric
alkaline electrolyzer assembled based on the SSM-Ni-P cathode (HER)
and SSM-Ni anode (OER) achieved an onset and 10 mA cm–2 current densities at an overall potential of 1.62 V, granting more
prospects for the application of inexpensive and highly active electrocatalysts
for electrocatalytic water splitting reactions.