Amorphous‐crystalline Co−B−P Catalyst for Synergistically Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

AbstractThe development of highly practical and stable catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains challenging to accomplish continuous H2 production through water electrolysis. In this work, the porous network Co−B−P amorphous‐crystalline catalyst was synthesized through a hydrothermal‐alternating immersion boronization‐phosphidation pathway. The Co−B−P nanocomposite consists of the amorphous Co−B−O and crystalline Co2P2O7 compositions. The Co−B−P catalyst shows highly effective HER electrochemical performance with low overpotential of 51 mV at current density of 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 44 mV dec−1 in alkaline solution (pH=14). After 1000 cycles of CV scanning, the catalyst shows no significant reduction in HER performance. Such superior HER performance can be ascribed to (1) the amorphous Co−B−O structure accelerating charge transfer between active sites and intermediates and (2) the formed P−O bonds of crystalline Co2P2O7 promoting the dissociation course of water molecules. The combination of crystalline and amorphous substances provides prospects for the design of HER catalyst structures in the future.