Adenosine triphosphate induced transition-metal phosphide nanostructures encapsulated with N, P-codoped carbon toward electrochemical water splitting

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have emerged as the most potential non-precious metal catalysts thanks to their high abundance, low cost and superior catalytic activity. Although numerous efforts have been devoted to gain TMPs, most of the synthetic processes are dangerous and complex as the utilization of flammable and toxic phosphorus sources. By using a novel green phosphorus source-adenosine triphosphate (ATP), we synthesized various N, P doped carbon-sealed TMPs nanostructures (TMPs@NPC) via a facile and simple solid-phase method. Benefiting from the porous nanostructure and in situ derived heteroatom-doped carbon encapsulation, assynthesized TMPs@NPC exhibit good bifunctional catalytic performance. Notably, the Co2P@NPC demonstrates the superior activity and durability toward HER and OER. The Co2P@NPC, meanwhile, displays robust overall water electrolysis performance. Therefore, our work presents a simple, ecofriendly, and general strategy for the synthesis of TMPs encapsulated with N, P-codoped carbon nanostructures, which are also expected to show a bright future in other electrochemical applications.

Automated summary

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have gained attention as potential non-precious metal catalysts due to their abundance, low cost, and high catalytic activity. By using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a green phosphorus source, we successfully synthesized N, P doped carbon-sealed TMPs nanostructures (TMPs@NPC) via a facile solid-phase method. The resulting TMPs@NPC showed excellent bifunctional catalytic performance, with Co2P@NPC demonstrating superior activity and durability in HER and OER reactions. Additionally, Co2P@NPC also exhibited robust overall water electrolysis performance, highlighting the potential of TMPs@NPC in electrochemical applications.