Synergistic interface engineering and structural optimization of non-noble metal telluride-nitride electrocatalysts for sustainably overall seawater electrolysis

Searching for ideal candidates with high electrocatalytic performance for both HER and OER is a major objective to realize the large-scale H-2 production by seawater electrolysis. Herein, we report delicate, heterostructured NiTe-NiCoN and NiTe-NiFeN electrocatalysts, which exhibit outstanding HER and OER performance, respectively. Impressively, the NiTe-NiCoN || NiTe-NiFeN couples in alkaline seawater solution delivered 400 mA cm(-2) at 1.84 V along with long-term stability. Further analysis has revealed that not only heterogeneous interface engineering ensures exposure of abundant active sites and faster electron-mass transfer, but also induces electron modulation that optimizes the absorption/desorption for the reaction intermediates to enhanced the intrinsic activity. Notably, a high electric field intensity generated by the nanosheet-nanorod structure induces a local "hydroxide enrichment " environment that promotes the OER kinetics. This work shed lights on these novel heterostructured electrocatalysts with strong synergy, while demonstrating the key role of the unique nano-structures in high-efficiency seawater electrolysis.