Sulfur-Doped Zinc Oxide-Nikel Oxide as Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting

A mixed sulfur-doped zinc oxide-nickel oxide (S@ZnO-NiO) nanocomposite electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was prepared by hydrothermal method; we prepared a high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalyst S@ZnO-NiO. By applying different characterizations, the material was proven as a new phase of (S-doped-ZnO-NiO). S@ZnO-NiO showed excellent performance at 10 mA cm⁻², the generation potential of OER is 1.45 V, and that of HER is − 0.04 V. Furthermore, when applied for water splitting electrocatalysis, a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² was achieved at 1.49 V with excellent stability for 10 h. S@ZnO-NiO bifunctional catalysts offer great potential for electrochemical devices due to their low cost and high activity. We have successfully constructed an electrocatalyst with the dual functions of HER and OER, which can achieve efficient water splitting.