Self-supported nanotubular MoP electrode for highly efficient hydrogen evolution via water splitting

Abstract

Development of highly efficient, low-cost and earth-abundant catalysts is considered as a great challenge for water splitting. In this work, MoP nanotubes directly grown on metal Mo plate (MoP NTs/Mo) were firstly synthesized through a simple two-step method and achieved high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency in both acid and alkaline electrolytes. At a current density of 10 mA cm−2, the binder-free electrocatalysts displayed overpotentials of 224 mV and 269 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1.0 M KOH, respectively. Moreover, the vertically aligned MoP NTs/Mo nanotubes were found highly promising for photo-electrocatalytic applications due to the high specific surface area, short carrier and ion diffusion pathways. Therefore, our work offers a feasible method of fabricating an efficient and low-cost catalyst for water splitting.