A unique two-phase heterostructure with cubic NiSe and orthorhombic NiSe for enhanced lithium ion storage and electrocatalysis

Two-phase heterostructures have received tremendous attention in energy-related fields as high-performance electrode materials. However, heterogeneous interfaces are usually constructed by introducing foreign elements, which disturbs the investigation of the intrinsic effect of the two-phase heterostructure. Herein, unique heterostructures constructed with orthorhombic NiSe and cubic NiSe phases are developed, which are embedded in in situ formed porous carbon from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) (O/C-NiSe@C). Precisely-controlled selenylation of MOFs is crucial for the formation of the O/C-NiSe heterostructure. The heterogeneous interfaces with lattice dislocations and charge distribution are conducive to the high-speed transfer of electrons and ions during electrochemical processes, so as to improve the electrochemical reaction kinetics for lithium-ion storage and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). When used as the anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), O/C-NiSe@C shows a superior electrochemical performance to the counterparts with only the cubic phase (C-NiSe@C), in view of the cycling performance (719.3 mA h g at 0.1 A g for 100 cycles; 456.3 mA h g at 1 A g for 1000 cycles) and rate capabilities (344.8 mA h g at 4 A g). Furthermore, O/C-NiSe@C also exhibits better HER properties than C-NiSe@C, that is, much lower overpotentials of 154 mV and 205 mV in 0.5 M HSO and 1 M KOH, respectively, at 10 mA cm, a smaller Tafel slope as well as stable electrocatalytic activities for 2000 cycles/10 h. Preliminary observations indicate that the unique orthorhombic/cubic two-phase heterostructure could significantly improve the electrochemical performance of NiSe without additional modifications such as doping, suggesting the O/C-NiSe heterostructure as a promising bifunctional electrode for energy conversion and storage applications.