Improving the activity of CoxP nanoparticles for the electrochemical hydrogen evolution by hydrogenation

Abstract

Hydrogenation has recently been demonstrated on various oxide nanomaterials to enhance their optical and electrochemical properties. Here, we demonstrate that the activity of cobalt phosphide nanoparticles in the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) can be improved by hydrogenation. The hydrogenation apparently introduces nanoscale disordering near the surface of the crystalline nanoparticles without introducing any bulk phase change. The enhanced activity is due to the reduced hydrogen adsorption resistance and the enhanced electrochemically active surface area after hydrogenation, likely from the formation of the crystalline/disordered structure.