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Well-designed hybrid materials based on noble metal-free elements have great potential to generate hydrogen (H2 ) and oxygen (O2 ) sustainably via overall water splitting for developing practical energy-related technologies. Herein, an accessible method is presented to synthesize nickel diselenide (NiSe2 ) ultrathin nanowires decorated with amorphous nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiOx NPs) as multifunctional electrocatalysts (NSWANs) for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction (HER and OER). The NSWANs exhibit quite low HER and OER overpotentials of 174 and 295 mV, respectively, holding the current density of 20 mA cm-2 for 24 h continuous operations in alkaline media. Meanwhile, a cell voltage of 1.547 V at the current density of 10 mA cm-2 for overall water splitting has been achieved by the NSWANs for the practical application, which could maintain fascinating activity of 20 mA cm-2 for 72 h without degradation. The decorated NiOx NPs not only prevent the NiSe2 from further oxidation but also expose requisite active sites for electrocatalytic process. It is believed that this study may provide a valuable strategy to design high-efficiency electrocatalysts and expand the applications of selenide-based materials.

Utilizing sustainable energy for chemical activation of small molecules, such as CO2, to produce important chemical feedstocks is highly desirable. The simultaneous production of CO/H2 mixture (syngas) from photoreduction of CO2 and H2O is highly promising. However, the relationships between structure, composition, crystallinity, and photocatalytic performance are still indistinct. Here, amorphous ultrathin CoO nanowires and polyoxometalate incorporated nanowires with even lower crystallinity were synthesized. The POM‐incorporated ultrathin nanowires exhibit high photocatalytic syngas production activity, reaching H2 and CO evolution rates of 11555 and 4165 μmol g−1 h−1 respectively. Further experiments indicate that the ultrathin morphology and incorporation of POM both contribute to the superior performance. Multiple characterizations reveal the enhanced charge–hole separation efficiency of the catalyst would facilitate the photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing sustainable energy for chemical activation of small molecules, such as CO2, to produce important chemical feedstocks is highly desirable. The simultaneous production of CO/H2 mixture (syngas) from photoreduction of CO2 and H2O is highly promising. However, the relationships between structure, composition, crystallinity, and photocatalytic performance are still indistinct. Here, amorphous ultrathin CoO nanowires and polyoxometalate incorporated nanowires with even lower crystallinity were synthesized. The POM‐incorporated ultrathin nanowires exhibit high photocatalytic syngas production activity, reaching H2 and CO evolution rates of 11555 and 4165 μmol g−1 h−1 respectively. Further experiments indicate that the ultrathin morphology and incorporation of POM both contribute to the superior performance. Multiple characterizations reveal the enhanced charge–hole separation efficiency of the catalyst would facilitate the photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing sustainable energy for chemical activation of small molecules, such as CO2, to produce important chemical feedstocks is highly desirable. The simultaneous production of CO/H2 mixture (syngas) from photoreduction of CO2 and H2O is highly promising. However, the relationships between structure, composition, crystallinity, and photocatalytic performance are still indistinct. Here, amorphous ultrathin CoO nanowires and polyoxometalate incorporated nanowires with even lower crystallinity were synthesized. The POM‐incorporated ultrathin nanowires exhibit high photocatalytic syngas production activity, reaching H2 and CO evolution rates of 11555 and 4165 μmol g−1 h−1 respectively. Further experiments indicate that the ultrathin morphology and incorporation of POM both contribute to the superior performance. Multiple characterizations reveal the enhanced charge–hole separation efficiency of the catalyst would facilitate the photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing sustainable energy for chemical activation of small molecules, such as CO2, to produce important chemical feedstocks is highly desirable. The simultaneous production of CO/H2 mixture (syngas) from photoreduction of CO2 and H2O is highly promising. However, the relationships between structure, composition, crystallinity, and photocatalytic performance are still indistinct. Here, amorphous ultrathin CoO nanowires and polyoxometalate incorporated nanowires with even lower crystallinity were synthesized. The POM‐incorporated ultrathin nanowires exhibit high photocatalytic syngas production activity, reaching H2 and CO evolution rates of 11555 and 4165 μmol g−1 h−1 respectively. Further experiments indicate that the ultrathin morphology and incorporation of POM both contribute to the superior performance. Multiple characterizations reveal the enhanced charge–hole separation efficiency of the catalyst would facilitate the photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]