Phosphorus-doped Co3Mo3C/Co/CNFs hybrid: A remarkable electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Exploring high-performance and low-cost electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction aimed at generating hydrogen to alleviate the pressure of energy crisis is of extremely urgent. Herein, we report phosphorus-doped Co3Mo3C/Co/CNFs (termed P–Co3Mo3C/Co/CNFs) hybrid with unique three-dimensional network structure as efficient hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst. Note that the introduction of P can modulate electronic structure of Mo and Co centers to accelerate hydrogen evolution reaction kinetics. The P–Co3Mo3C/Co/CNFs exhibits low onset potential of −19 mV and Tafel slope of 64 mV dec−1 in 1 M KOH. It requires overpotential of only 81 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and presents long-time stability for more than 40 h at current density of ∼10 mA cm−2 and ∼50 mA cm−2. More excellently, this facilely prepared P–Co3Mo3C/Co/CNFs catalyst reveals promising application prospect in different kinds of water splitting devices. This work highlights an effective approach to perfect hydrogen evolution reaction catalytic performance via phosphorus-doped.