Exploring the potential application of Cr₂AlC MAX phase as an emerging electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

A three-dimensional (3D) chromium carbide ceramic type, H-phase (211) categorized as Cr₂AlC, MAX phase has garnered enormous attention in recent times due to its unique structure and bonding, surface area, thermal stability, and thermo-electrical conductivity, and hydrophilicity. A simple synthesis approach is proposed for obtaining layered Cr₂AlC, MAX phase, with X-ray diffraction data and SEM morphology confirming the formation of the H-phase. The electrocatalyst Cr₂AlC is being utilized for electrocatalytic water splitting application. The Cr₂AlC is observed to exhibit an overpotential and Tafel slopes of 215 mV/88.3 mV dec^− 1 for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 376 mV/96.5 mV dec^− 1 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively, demonstrating good stability for up to 7200 s. This study establishes a straightforward method for producing emergent material, Cr₂AlC MAX phase, and highlights its promising applications in water electrolysis, hydrogen evolution, and oxygen evolution reactions.