Synthesis and application of transition metal phosphides as electrocatalyst for water splitting

With continuous research on photocatalytic water splitting, searching for efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) becomes popular topic in addition to main catalyst research. Transition metal phosphides are receiving intense attention due to its abundance in the Earth's crust and comparable catalytic properties to noble metals. In this review, the synthesis approaches, HER reaction mechanism, photocatalytic activity, approaches to improve the activity of transition metal phosphides were reviewed and discussed. It was showed that the transition metal phosphides have great potential to reduce the cost of photocatalyst and promising application on water splitting. The stability problem and participation of poisonous reactant and product in its synthesis reaction limit its application and developing in a certain extent, but with the continuous efforts on the development and improvement of the synthesis methods, transition metal phosphides will find wide application in water splitting. (C) 2017 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science China Press. All rights reserved.