Surface engineering and electronic modification are the two primary elements for improving the catalytic properties of electrode materials. We significantly improved the catalytic performances of interfacial-engineered Ir nanocluster-containing cobalt phosphide/phosphate heterostructured nanowires on nickel foam (Ir-Co₂P/Co₂P₂O₇ NWs/NF) in water splitting. The optimized Ir nanocluster content of 0.05 wt% resulted in a highly efficient catalytic performance, significantly outperforming commercial IrO₂ and Pt-C catalysts. The Ir_0.05-Co₂P/Co₂P₂O₇ NW bifunctional electrocatalyst displayed cell potentials of 1.52, 1.60, 1.62, and 1.67 V in 1.0 M KOH and mimic, simulated, and natural seawater, respectively, at 10 mA cm⁻². DFT analysis confirmed that the heterostructure enrichment in the z-oriented d-orbital facilitates strong electronic interactions between the adsorbates and surfaces. The keys were the simultaneous generation of metal phosphide/phosphate via activation of the P site on the support. Furthermore, the electrocatalyst exhibited a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 22.4% in solar energy-aided water splitting, indicating that it is a viable, inexpensive candidate for use in water splitting.

表面工程和电子修饰是提高电极材料催化性能的两大要素。我们显着提高了界面工程化的含 Ir 纳米团簇的磷化钴/磷酸盐异质结构纳米线在泡沫镍 (Ir-Co ₂ P/Co ₂ P ₂ O ₇ NWs/NF) 上的水分解催化性能。优化后的 Ir 纳米团簇含量为 0.05 wt%，具有高效的催化性能，显着优于商业 IrO ₂和 Pt-C 催化剂。Ir _0.05 -Co ₂ P/Co ₂ P ₂ O ₇^{NW 双功能电催化剂在 1.0 M KOH 和 10 mA cm -2}下模拟、模拟和天然海水中的电池电位分别为 1.52、1.60、1.62 和 1.67 V。DFT 分析证实，z 向d轨道中的异质结构富集促进了吸附物和表面之间的强电子相互作用。关键是通过激活载体上的 P 位点同时生成金属磷化物/磷酸盐。此外，该电催化剂在太阳能辅助水分解中的太阳能制氢效率为 22.4%，表明它是一种可行且廉价的水分解候选物。