Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have been widely studied for water decomposition for their monocatalytic property for anodic or cathodic reactions. However, their bifunctional catalytic activity still remains a major challenge. Herein, hexagonal nickel-cobalt bimetallic phosphide nanoneedles with 1–3 μm length and 15–30 nm
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Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have been widely studied for water decomposition for their monocatalytic property for anodic or cathodic reactions. However, their bifunctional catalytic activity still remains a major challenge. Herein, hexagonal nickel-cobalt bimetallic phosphide nanoneedles with 1–3 μm length and 15–30 nm diameter supported on NF (Ni
xCo
2−xP NDs/NF) with adjusted electron structure have been successfully prepared. The overall alkaline water electrolyzer composed of the optimal anode (Ni
0.67Co
1.33P NDs/NF) and cathode (Ni
1.01Co
0.99P NDs/NF) provide 100 mA cm
−2 at 1.62 V. Gibbs Free Energy for reaction paths proves that the active site in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is Ni and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is Co in Ni
xCo
2−xP, respectively. In the HER process, Co-doping can result in an apparent accumulation of charge around Ni active sites in favor of promoting HER activity of Ni sites, and ΔG
H* of 0.19 eV is achieved. In the OER process, the abundant electron transfer around Co-active sites results in the excellent ability to adsorb and desorb *O and *OOH intermediates and an effectively reduced ∆G
RDS of 0.37 eV. This research explains the regulation of electronic structure change on the active sites of bimetallic materials and provides an effective way to design a stable and effective electrocatalytic decomposition of alkaline water.
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