Recent advances in cobalt phosphide based materials for energy-related applications

With the imminent exhaustion of fossil fuels and increasing global energy demands, great effort has been made to design and develop functional materials for exploiting clean renewable energy sources and developing more efficient energy storage systems. Cobalt phosphide is a rapidly rising star on the horizon of highly efficient catalysts with numerous research activities worldwide. In this review, we summarize recent research progress made in cobalt phosphide-based materials as efficient catalysts for hydrogen production and fuel cells, and as electrode materials for batteries. The impacts of phosphorus content on the electrocatalytic activity and other significant structural designs of cobalt phosphides for improving the performance are discussed. Finally, current challenges and future directions for cobalt phosphide-based materials are discussed.