Engineering CuCe ₂ Te ₄ @PPY as Efficient Catalyst for HER, OER and Over All Water Splitting

ABSTRACT Sustainable energy conversion cannot be achieved without the use of effective electrocatalysts for total water splitting. By combining CuCe 2 Te 4 with conductive polypyrrole (PPy), a CuCe 2 Te 4 @PPy nanocomposite was created using a hydrothermal technique in this study. We successfully formed crystalline orthorhombic CuCe 2 Te 4 @PPy with increased surface characteristics, as validated by structural and surface characterizations using XRD, SEM, FTIR, XPS, and BET studies. Excellent bifunctional catalytic activity was shown by electrochemical tests in an alkaline medium. At 10 mA cm −2 , the overpotentials for HER were 243 mV and for OER they were 181 mV, with modest Tafel slopes of 52.56 mV and 49.11 mV dec −1 , respectively. In addition, the catalyst showcased an impressive electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of 510.25 cm 2 and shown exceptional durability even after 50 h of continuous operation. Based on these findings, CuCe 2 Te 4 @PPy is an attractive and long‐lasting electrocatalyst that might be used for effective water splitting.