Synergistically coupled carbon nanotube-trimetallic Ni-Al-Ti nanocomposites for efficient and durable overall water splitting

초록

Developing cost-effective and durable trimetallic electrocatalysts is crucial for efficient electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we report an efficient electrocatalyst of the carbon nanotube-supported trimetallic Ni–Al–Ti nanocomposites (CNT–NAT NCs) fabricated using a simple ultrasonication-assisted assembly of co-precipitated NAT nanoparticles and CNTs. The CNT–NAT NCs exhibit an interconnected architecture, where NAT nanoparticles are uniformly anchored on a conductive CNT network, providing a high specific surface area of 60 m2/g. The CNT–NAT NCs show excellent hydrogen-evolution reaction activity in 1 M KOH, delivering an overpotential of 86 mV at 10 mA/cm2 with a Tafel slope of 64 mV/dec and long-term stability. For the oxygen evolution reaction, the catalyst achieves a low overpotential of 225 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and a Tafel slope of 54 mV/dec and excellent long-term stability in 1 M KOH. When employed as both electrodes in a two-electrode configuration, the CNT–NAT NC electrolyzer operates at a low cell voltage of 1.55 V and sustains stable water splitting for 100 h. The enhanced bifunctional performance arises from the synergistic combination of the highly conductive CNT framework and the abundant active sites of the Ni–Al–Ti nanocomposites, demonstrating the promise of CNT–NAT NCs for efficient water electrolysis. © 2026 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

키워드