Atomic doping modulates the electronic structure of porous cobalt phosphide nanosheets as efficient hydrogen generation electrocatalysts in wide pH range

Developing efficient electrocatalysts to achieve sustainable hydrogen production from electrocatalytic water splitting remains a task of great significance and challenges. Atomic doping is of importance to enhance the performance of electrocatalysts by modulating the local microenvironmental of the designed nanomaterials. Herein, we have developed a porous CoP electrocatalyst with Ru and B atoms co-doping (Ru/B-CoP). Benefiting from the atomic doping and the unique multivacancy nanosheet structure, only 39 mV, 52 mV, and 87 mV are required to achieve 10 mA cm-2 for HER in 0.5 M H2SO4, 1 M KOH, and 1 M PBS, respectively, and also achieves excellent performance in seawater. It is shown that the introduction of Ru, B in CoP can successfully regulate the electronic structure of the samples and can provide enormous potential in the field of sustainable energy storage and conversion.

Automated summary

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production is a significant challenge. Atomic doping is an effective strategy to enhance the performance of electrocatalysts by modulating the microenvironment of nanomaterials. In this study, a porous CoP electrocatalyst with Ru and B co-doping was developed and showed excellent performance in hydrogen evolution reactions under low voltages and in seawater, indicating its great potential in sustainable energy storage and conversion.