Issue 3, 2019

A universal synthesis strategy for P-rich noble metal diphosphide-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Highly efficient, stable and cost-efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation via water splitting have become in increasing demand for future energy systems. Hitherto, P-rich noble metal polyphosphides which can decrease noble metal (such as Rh, Pd, or Ir) dosage are important to probe potential high-performance HER electrocatalysts. Nevertheless, they are difficult to synthesize at ambient pressure and moderate temperatures. Herein, for the first time, we report a novel iridium diphosphide (IrP2) electrocatalyst embedded within an ultrathin nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) layer (IrP2@NC) synthesized at ambient pressure and moderate temperature (900 °C). Subsequent electrochemical tests revealed that such a P-rich IrP2@NC catalyst possesses the highest hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity among all the documented transition metal phosphide electrocatalysts, including the commercial Pt/C, with ultralow overpotentials of 8 and 28 mV to achieve 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1.0 M KOH, respectively. Combined density functional theory (DFT) computational studies suggest that the introduction of phosphorus into iridium can weaken the H adsorption strength of IrP2, beneficial for boosting HER activity. More importantly, this synthetic strategy for P-rich IrP2@NC can also be applied to other noble metal diphosphides (RhP2@NC and Pd5P2@NC, etc.). This work presents a particularly efficient and stable P-rich transition metal polyphosphide with advanced HER performance and beyond.

Graphical abstract: A universal synthesis strategy for P-rich noble metal diphosphide-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
19 Jan 2019
Accepted
01 Feb 2019
First published
01 Feb 2019

Energy Environ. Sci., 2019,12, 952-957

A universal synthesis strategy for P-rich noble metal diphosphide-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Z. Pu, J. Zhao, I. S. Amiinu, W. Li, M. Wang, D. He and S. Mu, Energy Environ. Sci., 2019, 12, 952 DOI: 10.1039/C9EE00197B

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