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Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) are promising candidates for noble metal free electrocatalysts in water splitting applications. In this work, we present the facile synthesis of nickel cobalt phosphide electrocatalyst with three-dimensional nanostructure (3D-NiCoP) on the nickel foam, via hydrothermal reaction and phosphorization. The as-prepared electrocatalyst exhibits an excellent activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes, with small overpotentials to drive 10 mA/cm2 (80 mV for 0.5 M H2SO4, 105 mV for 1 M KOH), small Tafel slopes (37 mV/dec for 0.5 M H2SO4, 79 mV/dec for 1 M KOH), and satisfying durability in long-term electrolysis. 3D-NiCoP also shows a superior HER activity compared to single metal phosphide, such as cobalt phosphide and nickel phosphide. The outstanding performance for HER suggests the great potential of 3D-NiCoP as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for water splitting technology.


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Nickel cobalt phosphide with three-dimensional nanostructure as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes

Show Author's information Bo Ma1Zhengchun Yang2Yantao Chen1( )Zhihao Yuan1( )
Tianjin Key Laboratory for Photoelectric Materials and Devices,School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology,Tianjin,300384,China;
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Film Electronic & Communication Devices, Tianjin University of Technology,Tianjin,300384,China;

Abstract

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) are promising candidates for noble metal free electrocatalysts in water splitting applications. In this work, we present the facile synthesis of nickel cobalt phosphide electrocatalyst with three-dimensional nanostructure (3D-NiCoP) on the nickel foam, via hydrothermal reaction and phosphorization. The as-prepared electrocatalyst exhibits an excellent activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes, with small overpotentials to drive 10 mA/cm2 (80 mV for 0.5 M H2SO4, 105 mV for 1 M KOH), small Tafel slopes (37 mV/dec for 0.5 M H2SO4, 79 mV/dec for 1 M KOH), and satisfying durability in long-term electrolysis. 3D-NiCoP also shows a superior HER activity compared to single metal phosphide, such as cobalt phosphide and nickel phosphide. The outstanding performance for HER suggests the great potential of 3D-NiCoP as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for water splitting technology.

Keywords: electrocatalyst, water splitting, hydrogen evolution reaction, nickel cobalt phosphide

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Publication history
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Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 20 August 2018
Revised: 10 October 2018
Accepted: 13 October 2018
Published: 08 November 2018
Issue date: February 2019

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© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51702234).

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