Unveiling the Multifunction of SCoFeCS: Remarkably Boosting Electrocatalytic Activity in Renewable Energy-Powered Overall Alkaline Water Splitting

Abstract

We developed core−shell structured (CS) CoFe hydroxides coated by a defective RGO shell via solvothermal (SCoFeCS) and hydrothermal (HCoFe@RGO) methods. SCoFeCS provided more active sites with a transmissive corridor and high conductivity, with a large surface area, to ameliorate the catalytic efficiency. The optimal SCoFeCS displays exceptional trifunctional properties for H 2 and O 2 evolution, UOR, and MSWO at low potentials (OER: 299 mV; 112 mV dec −1 , UOR: 1.40 V; 72 mVdec −1 , and MSWO: 1.50 V; 82 mVdec −1 ). SCoFeCS shows higher catalytic efficiency than HCoFe@RGO (359 mV; 299 mV dec −1 ) due to strong synergistic coupling between CoFe and the rGO matrix. The calculated areas under MOOH formation peaks for SCoFeCS,