Nanoporous Carbon-Coated Bimetallic Phosphides for Efficient Electrochemical Water Splitting

Developing highly efficient and low-cost electrocatalyst for water splitting to produce H-2 and O-2 as a sustainable energy fuel to replace noble metal catalyst is vital and urgent for the large-scale deployment of key energy technologies. Here, in combination of composition, structure, and catalytic mechanism analysis, the porous Co0.7Fe0.3P@C catalyst was synthesized by a facile phosphidation process of Co0.7Fe0.3@C which is derived from the corresponding Co-Fe coordination polymer precursors. The Co0.7Fe0.3P@C catalyst shows enhanced electrochemical activity toward oxygen evolution reaction and water splitting due to the incorporation of Fe element and the porous structure, comparable to the commercial noble metal catalyst. Furthermore, the coated carbon can not only promote electronic transmission but also protect the active Co0.7Fe0.3P nanoparticles, resulting in good activity and stability. These fascinating findings in this work would promote the designation and preparation of promising bimetallic oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst utilizing coordination polymers as precursors for various energy systems in the future.