A preparation method for a one-dimensional Ni.sub.12P.sub.5/Ni.sub.2P polycrystalline heterostructure catalyst used for high-efficiency water oxidation is provided. In particular, nickel foam is used as a conductive carrier and a nickel source, sodium phosphite is used as a phosphorus source, and the one-dimensional polycrystalline heterostructure catalyst is synthesized therefrom by means of a two-step hydrothermal-phosphorization method. The combination of the one-dimensional heterostructure and the nickel foam conductive carrier is beneficial for charge transfer and the release of bubbles on the surface of an electrode/electrolyte. The prepared Ni.sub.12P.sub.5/Ni.sub.2P/NF catalyst has a relatively low electrocatalytic water oxidation overpotential and long-term stability in an alkaline solution. After the Ni.sub.12P.sub.5/Ni.sub.2P/NF is loaded with monatomic Ir, the water oxidation overpotential can be further reduced.

A material contains open pores in which the channels and pores that are internally coated with at least one layer of phosphorus-containing alumina. Such material is formed by infiltrating a porous material one or more times with a non-colloidal, low-viscosity liquid coating precursor, drying, and curing the coating precursor to form a phosphorus-containing alumina layer within pores of the material.

A deposition method, comprising the steps of exposing a carrier to moisture, so that a hydroxy group can be distributed on the surface of the carrier, and adding a liquid precursor to the hydroxy group to perform an alcohol condensation reaction to form a target atom layer or a target atom compound layer of the deposition carrier; the process provided by the present invention allows one or more liquid precursors to be freely selected for uniform deposition on the carrier. Compared to the current low-yield dry atomic deposition technology, it has no limitation on the volume of the reaction chamber, no complicated and diverse process, and can be designed as a continuous process to achieve wider industrial availability.