Abstract The self-catalyzed growth of nano-structures on material surfaces is an economic and time-efficient way of designing multifunctional electrocatalysts for vast applications. NiCo bimetallic nanoparticles embedded in N-doped nanotubes (NCNTs) on carbon cloth substrate were formed here by a simple two-step method via hydrothermal treatment followed by in-situ pyrolysis and self-catalysis through chemical vapor deposition. The unique three-dimensional network and Ni/Co-N-C coordination of NiCo/NCNTs electrocatalyst provide predominant advantage for short-range and long-range conductivity and exposure of active sites. Such beneficial characteristics result in significant improvement in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performances. The electrocatalysts obtained from two NiCo bimetallic hydroxides with different structures exhibit the overpotential of 210 and 290 mV at current density of 20 mA cm−2 and the Tafel slope of 148 and 160 mV dec−1, respectively. In addition, electrocatalysts showed long-term stability throughout 25 h with negligible lost in catalytic activities of approximately 10.6% and 12.8%, respectively.

中文翻译：

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双金属纳米颗粒/碳纳米管的原位自催化生长：一种用于高性能析氧反应的柔性无粘合剂电催化剂

摘要 材料表面纳米结构的自催化生长是设计用于广泛应用的多功能电催化剂的一种经济且省时的方法。NiCo双金属纳米粒子嵌入碳布基材上的N掺杂纳米管（NCNT）中，通过简单的两步法通过水热处理、原位热解和化学气相沉积自催化形成。NiCo/NCNTs 电催化剂独特的三维网络和 Ni/Co-NC 配位为短程和长程导电性以及活性位点的暴露提供了主要优势。这种有益的特性导致析氧反应 (OER) 性能的显着改善。从两种不同结构的 NiCo 双金属氢氧化物获得的电催化剂在 20 mA cm-2 的电流密度下分别表现出 210 和 290 mV 的过电位以及 148 和 160 mV dec-1 的塔菲尔斜率。此外，电催化剂在 25 小时内表现出长期稳定性，催化活性损失可忽略不计，分别约为 10.6% 和 12.8%。