A binder-free electrode with metallic Co embedded in N-doped carbon nanotube array (Co@N-CNT) was fabricated via an electrodeposition, stereoscopic assembly and self-boosting catalytic pyrolysis. Specifically, directed-eletrodeposition vertical growth of Co(OH)₂-nanosheet serves as the structure inducer to offer abundant sites for ZIF-67 growth, and melamine is selected as an initiator for orientated growth of N-CNTs. As an integrative non-noble electrocatalyst for water splitting, it requires only 1.58 V to achieve 30 mA cm⁻² in an alkali-electrolyzer. The remarkable electrochemical performance is mainly attributed to the unique 3D hierarchical tubular structure and the synergistic effect of each chemical compositions, which provide amount of accessible active sites, accelerate the diffusion of electron/electrolyte, and improve the electrical conductivity, hydrophilicity and structural stability. The electro-catalytic splitting water mechanism was further explored by density functional theory. This universal method can be extensively applied to fabricate well-defined monometal or bimetal encapsulated into N-CNTs for various electrochemical applications.

通过电沉积，立体组装和自增强催化热解工艺制备了一种无粘结剂的金属钴嵌入N掺杂的碳纳米管阵列（Co @ N-CNT）的电极。具体地，Co（OH）_2-纳米片的定向电沉积垂直生长用作结构诱导剂，以提供丰富的ZIF-67生长位点，并且选择三聚氰胺作为N-CNT的定向生长的引发剂。作为用于水分解的集成非贵金属电催化剂，仅需1.58 V即可达到30 mA cm ^-2在碱电解槽中。出色的电化学性能主要归因于独特的3D分层管状结构以及每种化学成分的协同效应，它们提供了可访问的活性位点数量，加速了电子/电解质的扩散，并提高了电导率，亲水性和结构稳定性。利用密度泛函理论进一步探讨了电催化裂化水的机理。这种通用方法可广泛应用于制造封装在N-CNT中的定义明确的单金属或双金属，以用于各种电化学应用。