Carbon nanofibers as nanoreactors in the construction of PtCo alloy carbon core-shell structures for highly efficient and stable water splitting

• PtCo alloy carbon core-shell nanostructures with nitrogen doping were synthesized.
• Carbon nanofibers served as nanoreactors.
• The PtCo alloy carbon exhibits high HER and OER activity and high stability.
• The OER activities originate from the conductivity of NCNF and the PtCo alloy.

Carbon nanofibers served as nanoreactors for the design and construction of PtCo alloy carbon core-shell nanostructures with nitrogen doping (PtCo/NCNF) through a combination of electrospinning and nitrogen doping treatments. The PtCo/NCNF hybrid consists of PtCo alloy nanoparticles surrounded by a few of N-doped carbon layers, demonstrating a typical core-shell structures. The PtCo/NCNF hybrid can both served as electrode materials for electrocatalytic water splitting including hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). For the HER performance, the PtCo/NCNF exhibits very small onset potential of 20 mV, an overpotential of 50 mV at a j (vs RHE) = 10 mA cm− 2 and Tafel slope of 30 mV dec− 1. The PtCo/NCNF hybrid also exhibits high OER activity with an onset potential of 310 mV, an overpotential of 400 mV at a j of 10 mA cm− 2 and a small Tafel slope of 76 mV dec− 1. The high catalytic activities of PtCo alloy for HER and OER originate from the 3D hierarchical structures, well-dispersed PtCo alloy, high conductivity of NCNF, protection from the carbon-encapsulated structure, and the introduction of nitrogen.

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