Nanostructured Phosphides as Electrocatalysts for Green Energy Generation

Abstract

The continuous development in energy storage and conversion fields is currently based on designing inexpensive and efficiently behaved nanomaterials to satisfy the future energy demands. Nanostructured transition metal phosphides could display numerous brilliant features enabling them as active anode materials in energy generation systems. Increased structural and thermal stability, good hardness and electrical conductivity in addition to available surfaces with enriched active sites and strong metal–phosphorous bonds could extensively characterize these fabricated metal phosphides. The short pathways of diffused ions, the increased specific capacitance and lowered charge-discharge voltage of these nanomaterials strongly elect them as promotors in energy conversion and storage systems including hydrogen (HER) and oxygen evolution (OER) reactions, water splitting, metal-ion batteries and supercapacitors. This book chapter will deal with the preparation routes of transition metal phosphides and their activity for green energy generation besides the challenges and future perspectives in this field.