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The development of efficient, stable, and versatile hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts is of great meaning, but still faces challenging. Interface engineering and phase engineering have been immensely applied in the field of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) because of their unique physicochemical properties. However, they are typically used separately, which limits their effectiveness. Herein, we propose an interface-engineered CoMo/CoTe electrocatalyst, consisting of an amorphous CoMo (a-CoMo) layer-encapsulated crystalline CoTe array, achieving the profound optimization of catalytic performance. The experimental results and density functional theory calculations show that the d-band center of the catalyst shifts further upward in contrast with its crystalline-crystalline counterpart, optimizing the electronic structure and the intermediate adsorption, thereby reducing the kinetic barrier of HER. The a-CoMo/CoTe with superhydrophilic/superaerophobic features shows excellent catalytic performance in alkaline, neutral, and simulated seawater environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The design of low-cost, efficient, and stable multifunctional basic catalysts to replace the high-cost noble metal catalysts remains a challenge. In this work, we report a dual-component Co-W 2 C catalytic system which achieves excellent properties of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, η 10  = 63 mV), oxygen evolution reaction (OER, η 10  = 259 mV) and overall water splitting (η 10  = 1.53 V) by adjusting the interfacial electronic structure of the material. Further density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the efficient electronic modulation at the W 2 C/Co interface leads to the generation of favorable hydroxyl and hydrogen species energetics on the hybrid surface. The results of the in-situ Raman spectra show that W 2 C can suppress the excessive oxidation of the active site during the OER process, and the existence of core-shell structure also protects the W 2 C substrate. The stable and efficient catalytic performance of Co-W 2 C is attributed to the common advantages of structural and interface manipulation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The rational design of electrocatalysts with exceptional performance and durability for hydrogen production in alkaline medium is a formidable challenge. In this study, we have developed in-situ activated ruthenium nanoparticles dispersed on Ni 3 N nanosheets, forming a bifunctional electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution and urea oxidation. The results of experimental analysis and theoretical calculations reveal that the enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of O-Ru-Ni 3 N stems primarily from the optimized hydrogen adsorption and hydroxyl adsorption on Ru sites. The O-Ru-Ni 3 N on nickel foam (NF) electrode exhibits excellent HER performance, requiring only 29 mV to reach 10 mA cm -2 in an alkaline medium. Notably, when this O-Ru-Ni 3 N/NF catalyst is employed for both HER and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) to create an integrated H 2 production system, a current density of 50 mA cm -2 can be generated at the cell voltage of 1.41 V. This report introduces an energy-efficient catalyst for hydrogen production and proposes a viable strategy for anodic activation in energy chemistry., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The development of highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) electrocatalysts with abundant resources is necessary for green hydrogen production. Ni-based compounds have received attention as the most promising earth-abundant electrocatalysts for OER and UOR, whereas some compounds in this main group, e.g., nickel selenides and tellurides, have received little attention. Herein, we demonstrate the interfacial engineered Ni 0.85 Se/NiTe array on Ni foam as a highly efficient catalyst for the OER, which exhibits an overpotential of 200 mV to obtain a current density of 10 mA cm -2 in alkaline solutions. Meanwhile, it exhibits a low potential of 1.301 V for the UOR at a current density of 100 mA cm -2 . In particular, it even has the potential to be used in methanol oxidation reaction and ethanol oxidation reaction. The vertical NiTe array not only serves as the conductive substrate for highly improving the mass loading of Ni 0.85 Se, but also triggers the strong electron interaction between two components, leading to increased adsorption sites available for the intermediates formed in the OER and UOR on the Ni 0.85 Se surface. This study provides a broad avenue to construct hierarchical nanostructures as outstanding electrocatalysts for efficient OER and UOR., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)