A large number of uniform cobalt sulfur nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes were obtained by calcining the mixture of cobalt thiocyanate and melamine. The cobalt sulfur nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and Raman spectrometer. The results show that the carbon nanotubes have regular bamboo-like structure and the Co NPs are encapsulated in the tips of carbon nanotubes. In addition, cobalt, sulfur, nitrogen atoms are doped in carbon nanotubes successfully. The electrochemical test results show that the cobalt sulfur nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes have excellent catalytic activity of oxygen reduction in O₂ saturated 0.1 mol/L KOH. The positive onset potential is -0.12 V, half-wave potential is -0.16 V, and diffusion-limiting current density is -5.62 mA·cm⁻². The synthesis method is simple and feasible, which provides reference value for preparing non-noble metal-based oxygen reduction electrocatalyst.

Bifunctional catalysts for hydrogen/oxygen evolution reactions (HER/OER) are urgently needed given the bright future of water splitting hydrogen production technology. Here, the self-supporting N and Ce dual-doped NiCoP nanoarrays (denoted N,Ce-NiCoP/NF) grown on Ni foam are successfully constructed. When the N,Ce-NiCoP/NF simultaneously acts as the HER and OER electrodes, the voltages of 1.54 and 2.14 V are obtained for driving 10 and 500 mA·cm⁻² with a robust durability, and demonstrate its significant potential for practical water electrolysis. According to both experiments and calculations, the electronic structure of NiCoP may be significantly altered by strategically incorporating N and Ce into the lattice, which in turn optimizes the Gibbs free energy of HER/OER intermediates and speeds up the water splitting kinetics. Moreover, the sprout-shaped morphology significantly increases the exposure of active sites and facilitates charge/mass transfer, thereby augmenting catalyst performance. This study offers a potentially effective approach involving the regulation of anion and cation double doping, as well as architectural engineering, for the purpose of designing and optimizing innovative electrocatalysts.