Efficient alkaline water electrolysis with an iron-incorporated yttrium oxide/yttrium phosphide nanorod catalyst on Ni foam: overpotential reduction and electrochemical insights

Abstract

The suitability of nonnoble transition metal phosphide-based catalysts for bifunctional water-splitting applications is explored in this study. Here, through a wet impregnation and phosphodization method, a yttrium phosphide catalyst supported by varying ratios of iron-incorporated yttrium oxide nanorod is reported. The 1 : 1 ratio Fe-incorporated Y₂O₃-supported yttrium phosphide (FeYP11) exhibits efficient bifunctional catalytic activity attributed to heightened charge transfer and facilitated mass transport. The FeYP11 electrocatalyst manifests overpotentials of 301 and 19 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in an alkaline solution, respectively. Furthermore, electrochemical water splitting is achieved at 10 mA cm⁻² and 100 mA cm⁻² with cell voltages of 1.53 and 1.56 V, respectively. This investigation provides crucial insights into supported structure catalysts and the cost-effective nature of bifunctional phosphide-based catalysts for water electrolysis.