FeP Nanocrystals Embedded in N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation over a Broad pH Range

Abstract

Recently, great attention has been spent in the exploitation of stable and highly efficient nonprecious metal-based catalysts that can be applied to energy conversion techniques by electrocatalytic reaction. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) are promising and intriguing candidates for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as well as other energy conversion technologies. Here we present a facile sol–gel route aimed at synthesizing FeP nanocrystals embedded in N-doped carbon nanosheets (FeP/NCNSs). The obtained nanocomposite exhibits excellent hydrogen generation activity, achieving 10 mA cm–2 at relatively low overpotential (114 mV) in acidic electrolyte (0.5 M H2SO4). In the respect of structural integrity, the N-doped carbon layer could protect the FeP nanocrystals from acidic degradation, thus endowing the hybrid with superior durability to the bare FeP nanoparticles during long-term operation. Furthermore, the as-synthesized electrocatalyst also exhibits high catalytic activity and remarkable cyclabil...