Low-temperature Phosphidation Research Articles

Pt@Ni2P/C3N4 for charge acceleration to promote hydrogen evolution from ammonia-borane

Incorporating g-C3N4 with transition metal phosphides is emerging as a low-cost and robust co-catalyst for hydrogen evolution. The ammonia borane hydrolysis is an efficient method to release H2 at ambient conditions in the presence of a catalyst. An efficient and cheap catalyst is needed for practical application to achieve this benchmark. For this purpose, a catalyst Ni2P/C3N4 is synthesized by hydrothermal method and low-temperature phosphidation. The optimization reveals that the Ni2P/C3N4 with 6.5% Ni contents shows the best performance for H2 release. Furthermore, 2% Pt nanoparticles loading over Ni2P/C3N4 boosts the charge transfer and improves activity 5.7-fold compared to Ni2P/C3N4, and the Pt-loaded catalyst is depicted as Pt@Ni2P/C3N4. The reaction kinetics reveals that the hydrogen evolution rate accelerates by increasing the amount of Pt@Ni2P/C3N4 and AB concentration, and the loading of Pt nanoparticles loaded over Ni2P/C3N4 reduces the activation energy significantly. Moreover, the ionic interaction between Pt and Ni2P/C3N4 generates Ptᵟ+ and (Ni2P/C3N4)ᵟ− active sites which facilitates B–H cleavage and O–H bonds of ammonia borane and water, respectively. Incorporating transition metals phosphide and noble metals supported over g-C3N4 paves the pathway toward the efficient H2 evolution from ammonia borane, bringing cost-effective modifications to synthesize constructive catalysts.

In situ self-exsolved ultrasmall Fe2P quantum dots from attapulgite nanofibers as superior cocatalysts for solar hydrogen evolution.

Developing highly active, stable, and cost-efficient cocatalysts for photocatalytic H2 evolution is pivotal in the area of renewable energy conversion. Herein, we present a straightforward, low-temperature phosphidation strategy for in situ exsolving doped Fe ions from natural attapulgite (ATP) nanofibers into a supported Fe2P cocatalyst for the photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction (HER). The resulting Fe2P QDs/ATP features highly dispersed Fe2P QDs with an average size of <2 nm and a strong interfacial interaction between self-exsolved Fe2P QDs and the ATP substrate, thus providing ample and stable active sites for the photocatalytic HER. When employed as a cocatalyst, Fe2P QDs/ATP exhibits superior catalytic activity and notable stability in a molecular system with low-cost xanthene dyes as the photosensitizer under visible light irradiation. More importantly, Fe2P QDs/ATP can also efficiently and stably catalyze the photocatalytic HER when simply combined with various semiconductor photocatalysts (g-C3N4, TiO2, and CdS). This strategy of exsolving transition metal ions from substrates is an effective yet simple approach for the development of highly active supported HER cocatalysts for renewable and clean energy conversion.

Synthesis of Self-Supported Cu/Cu3P Nanoarrays as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Owing to the energy crisis and environmental pollution, it is essential to develop cheap, environmentally friendly and sustainable energy to replace noble metal electrocatalysts for use in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We report herein that a Cu/Cu3P nanoarray catalyst was directly grown on the surfaces of Cu nanosheets from its Cu/CuO nanoarray precursor by a low-temperature phosphidation process. In particular, the effects of phosphating distance, mass ratio and temperature on the morphology of Cu/Cu3P nanoarrays were studied in detail. This nanoarray, as an electrocatalyst, displays excellent catalytic performance and long-term stability in an acid solution for electrochemical hydrogen generation. Specifically, the Cu/Cu3P nanoarray-270 exhibits a low onset overpotential (96 mV) and a small Tafel slope (131 mV dec−1).

Integration of morphology and electronic structure modulation on cobalt phosphide nanosheets to boost photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane hydrolysis

The controllable and safe hydrogen storage technologies are widely recognized as the main bottleneck for the accomplishment of sustainable hydrogen energy. Ammonia borane (AB) has regarded as a competitive candidate for chemical hydrogen storage. However, developing efficient yet high-performance catalysts towards hydrogen evolution from AB hydrolysis remains an enormous challenge. Herein, cobalt phosphide nanosheets are synthesized by a facile salt-assisted along with low-temperature phosphidation strategy for simultaneously modulating its morphology and electronic structure, and function as hydrogen evolution photocatalysts. Impressively, the Co2P nanosheets display extraordinary performance with a record high turnover frequency of 44.9 min−1, outperforming most of the noble-metal-free catalysts reported to date. This remarkable performance is attributed to its desired nanosheets structure, featuring with high specific surface area, abundant exposed active sites, and short charge diffusion paths. Our findings provide a novel strategy for regulating metal phosphides with desired phase structure and morphology for energy-related applications and beyond.

Trace Amount of NiP2 Cooperative CoMoP Nanosheets Inducing Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

As a very attractive clean energy, hydrogen has a high energy density and great potential to achieve zero pollution emission. Therefore, the preparation of hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts with excellent performance is an urgent task to ameliorate the global energy shortage and environmental pollution. Here, a trace amount of NiP2 coupled with CoMoP nanosheets (NCMP) was synthesized by the one-step hydrothermal method and low-temperature phosphidation. Studies have found that although the dosage of NiP2 is very low, its appearance has been efficient to improve the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of CoMoP, which may be induced by the synergistic effect of the two different components NiP2 and CoMoP. To find the superior catalyst, the effect of Ni content on the catalyst performance is also studied, and it is found that when the dosage of Ni is 0.02 mM, NCMP-2 (2 means 0.02 mM) displays the most outstanding overpotential (10 mA cm–2) of 46 mV.

Boron-doped cobalt-iron bimetal phosphides nanosheets for enhanced oxygen evolution

Developing highly efficient earth-abundant catalysts for the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential to promote the commercial application of water splitting. Herein boron-doped cobalt-iron bimetal phosphides nanosheets as OER electrocatalysts have been successfully prepared by hydrothermal boronation of bimetallic metal-organic frameworks precursors with the subsequent low-temperature phosphidation. The synergistic effect between non-metal elements (B and P) and metals (Co and Fe) is found to play an important role on tuning the local electronic configuration surrounding the active metal centers. Moreover, the resultant nanosheet structures are beneficial for exposing the catalytically active sites and facilitating the mass/charge transport. As expected, the optimal catalyst exhibits superior catalytic performance toward the OER with long-term durability in 1.0 M KOH, affording a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at low over-potential of 294 mV and small Tafel slope of 49.5 mV dec−1.

Coral-Like Ni2P-Ni5P4 Polymorphs as Noble Metal-Free Catalysts for Efficient Water Splitting

Transition metal phosphides are perceived to be excellent electrocatalysts and have gradually become the primary candidates for highly efficient energy conversion devices. Coral-like Ni2P-Ni5P4 polymorphs with observable heterointerfaces were synthesized via hydrothermal method followed by low-temperature phosphidation. The phase structures and the electronic interaction of the heterointerfaces have been identified by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The resulting Ni2P-Ni5P4 catalyst exhibited a reasonable overpotential of 107 mV and a superior low overpotential of 238 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in 1 M KOH, respectively. In addition, excellent water-splitting performance of 10 mA cm−2 at a low overpotential of 348 mV was obtained by combining the Ni2P-Ni5P4/NF as both cathode and anode, which is lower than that of the Pt/C and RuO2 catalyst couple. Such impressive performance might be ascribed to effective heterointerfaces of Ni2P-Ni5P4 polymorphs.

Oxygen Reduction Reaction Performance Boosting Effect of Nitrogen/Sulfur Co-Doped Graphene Supported Cobalt Phosphide Nanoelectrocatalyst: pH-Universal Electrocatalyst

Herein, a novel noble metal-free hybrid of CoP@N,S-3D-GN in which cobalt phosphide (CoP) anchored onto the nitrogen and sulfur co-doped three-dimensional graphene(N,S-3D-GN) architecture is proposed to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) both in acidic and alkaline media. The facile cost-effective fabrication strategy including hydrothermal self-assembly of 3D–GN and subsequent low-temperature phosphidation is implemented. The obtained hybrids exhibit pH-universal electrocatalytic activity towards ORR thanks to facilitated mass diffusion, boosted charge transport, and abundance of electroactive sites as a result of the synergistic effect of co-doped heteroatoms and metal phosphide nanoparticles. The virtues of large specific surface area and 3D-interconnected microporous and mesoporous architecture, as well as tailoring of the surface with CoP and N,S-co-doping, facilitate the ORR catalytic activity and offer four-electron pathways both in acidic (n = 3.962) and alkaline media (n = 3.991). CoP@N,S-3D-GN offered long-term stability with 91.8% and 82.8% retention of initial current after 25,000 s in 0.1 M KOH and 0.1 M HClO4 electrolytes, respectively. The boosted electrocatalytic performance of CoP@N,S-3D-GN puts forward its up-and-coming usage of noble metal-free electrocatalysts alternative to platinum-group metals for ORR. This work paves the way for designing the next generation electrocatalysts for renewable energy systems due to the intriguing features including pH-universal catalytic activity, satisfactory durability, relatively low-cost and scalable production method.

Aggrandizing the Photoactivity of ZnO Nanorods toward N2 Reduction and H2 Evolution through Facile In Situ Coupling with NixPy

The photocatalytic water and nitrogen reduction in the presence of solar light gives rise to an alternative route for sustainable green energy. This novel approach can resolve the difficulty of greenhouse gas emanation from fossil fuels and global warming and energy crisis. Making headway for developing more robust and efficient photocatalytic systems still remains an enormous challenge toward industrial usage on a large scale. To meet this challenge, herein we report hydrothermally prepared ZnO nanorods (NRs) coupled with nickel phosphide (NiₓPy) via a low-temperature phosphidation method. NiₓPy acts as a robust co-catalyst, which increases the visible light absorption efficacy and photocatalytic performance of ZnO NRs toward nitrogen reduction and hydrogen evolution. The nanorod morphology of the ZnO-NiₓPy hybrid is revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis while the formation of the Ni–P moiety and its interaction with ZnO NRs are verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Besides, the excellent photogenerated charge separation and transfer efficiency are further confirmed using photoluminescence (PL), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and transient analysis, which are the main aspects for activity enhancement in the nickel phosphide-modified ZnO NRs. The optimized ZnO-NiₓPy nanocomposite exhibits an outstanding ammonia production rate of 2304.43 μmol h–¹ g–¹ without using any organic scavenger or precious noble metal. On the other hand, this catalyst also exhibits stupendous performance with a H₂ generation rate of 10 481 μmol h–¹ g–¹ using methanol as a hole scavenger. This magnificent result can be attributed to (i) Ni–P sites acting as active reaction sites for nitrogen and proton adsorption and activation, (ii) efficacious charge carrier segregation, and (iii) proficient charge transfer to the surface of nickel phosphide. This finding offers a new avenue for developing noble metal-free phosphide-based hybrids toward highly efficient photocatalytic reactions.

Tailoring of cobalt phosphide anchored nitrogen and sulfur co-doped three dimensional graphene hybrid: Boosted electrocatalytic performance towards hydrogen evolution reaction

The tailoring of a high-performance, low-cost hybrid electrocatalysts with excellent stability in acidic media for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has gain paramount importance. Herein, the cobalt phosphide decorated nitrogen and sulfur co-doped three dimensional graphene (CoP@N,S-3D-GN) electrocatalyst was synthesized via a simple two step production pathway including hydrothermal self-assembly and low-temperature phosphidation. Compared both with CoP-anchored 3D-GN (CoP@3D-GN) and N,S-co-doped 3D-GN (N,S-3D-GN) samples, profiting from the synergistic merits of co-doping and metal phosphide, CoP@N,S-3D-GN delivers boosted electrocatalytic activity towards HER with an overpotential of only 118 mV at 10 mA.cm−2, a Tafel slope of 50 mV.dec−1 and an exchange current density of 2.2 × 10−2 mA.cm−2. Furthermore, it preserves its electrocatalytic activity for both after 1000 cyclic voltammetry cycles at 100 mV.s−1 potential scan rate and at least 50 h under 120 mV overpotential. This work provides rational route for engineering of metal phosphides anchored 3D-graphene hybrid electrocatalysts to boost the HER catalytic performance.

Enhanced Fenton-like catalytic activity and stability of g-C3N4 nanosheet-wrapped copper phosphide with strong anti-interference ability: Kinetics and mechanistic study

Metal-based Fenton-like catalysts usually activate H2O2 to produce free radicals (•OH and O2•−) for the degradation of organic pollutants. However, a catalytic reaction dominated by free radicals is easily interfered with by various inorganic anions and water matrices. Herein, g-C3N4-wrapped copper phosphide (CuxP), as a highly efficient Fenton-like catalyst, was successfully synthesized by a simple low-temperature phosphidation method. The CuxP/g-C3N4 catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic ability for the removal of various organic contaminants over a wide pH range of 3–11. In addition, the catalyst exhibited strong anti-interference ability toward various inorganic anions (Cl–, SO42–, NO3–, F–, H2PO4–, HCO3– and CO32–) and water matrices (lake water, river water, tap water and simulated water matrix). The reasons for this performance were analyzed by verifying the mechanism of the catalytic reaction. Compared to the pure CuxP catalyst, the CuxP/g-C3N4 composite possessed good catalytic stability. The enhanced and deactivated mechanisms of the CuxP/g-C3N4 catalyst were systematically analyzed by a series of characterization techniques. A possible reaction mechanism was also proposed based on the experimental results. This work provides new insights into designing highly efficient metal-based Fenton-like catalysts with strong anti-interference ability to practically treat wastewater.

An Mn-doped NiCoP flower-like structure as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic and alkaline solutions with long duration.

The exploration of efficient non-noble metal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction has received considerable attention to replace commercial Pt catalyst. It is known that the cooperative coupling of appropriate non-noble metals exhibits excellent HER performance than a single component. Herein, an Mn-doped NiCoP flower-like electrocatalyst with self-assembled nanosheets on a nickel foam is synthesized via successive hydrothermal methods, followed by low temperature phosphidation. The as-synthesized Mn-NiCoP presents extraordinarily high catalytic activity and robust chemical stability towards the hydrogen evolution reaction in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. Benefiting from the dual modulation of the morphology structure and chemical compositions, Mn-NiCoP/NF achieves a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 37 mV for HER in a 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. Moreover, it only requires overpotentials of 67 mV and 142 mV to deliver current densities of 10 mA cm-2 and 50 mA cm-2 in a 1 M KOH solution, respectively. Remarkably, it holds enhanced stability in 1 M KOH, maintaining HER activity for at least 120 h with negligible overpotential decay. The highly efficient and stable Mn-NiCoP electrocatalyst is valuable in applications relevant to energy storage.

Nanostructured bimetallic Ni–Fe phosphide nanoplates as an electrocatalyst for efficient N2 fixation under ambient conditions

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under ambient conditions has been considered as a promising approach for green ammonia synthesis; however, non-precious metal-based catalysts with excellent NRR electrocatalytic performance have been scarce. Herein, self-supported bimetallic electrocatalysts of Ni12P5/FeP4 nanoplates grown on carbon cloth were synthesized by a combined process of hydrothermal technology and low-temperature phosphidation. The catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic N2 fixation performance with a high NH3 yield rate of 3.08 × 10−10 mol s−1 cm−2 (16.40 μg h−1 mgcat−1 ), Faradaic efficiency (39.9%) as well good durability at − 0.1 V in 0.1 M Na2SO4 at ambient conditions, which are attributed to the distinctive nanostructure and rational composition. Our study paves the way for expanding the scope of NRR research and designing more efficient electrochemical ammonia synthesis in the future.

Regulating the electronic structure of CoMoO4 microrod by phosphorus doping: an efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

It is of extreme importance to design efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which is considered as a promising approach to provide efficient and renewable clean fuel (hydrogen). Tuning the electronic structure through heteroatom doping demonstrates one of the most effective strategies to promote the electrocatalytic performance of HER. Herein, phosphorus-doping modulation is utilized to fabricate monoclinic P-CoMoO4 with optimized electron structure supported on nickel foam (P-CoMoO4/NF) for alkaline HER via a facile hydrothermal method, followed by low-temperature phosphidation. Notably, P-CoMoO4/NF shows outstanding electrocatalytic performance for HER in 1 M KOH with a low overpotential of 89 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a remarkable Tafel slope value of 59 mV dec-1, and excellent 24 h-long stability. The excellent catalyst activity and stability merits of P-CoMoO4/NF are comparable to the reported highly efficient non-precious metal HER electrocatalysts and could be applied as a powerful electrocatalyst in water electrolysis. This work provides a superior synthesis strategy for the effective design and rational fabrication of low-cost, highly active, and highly stable non-precious metal HER electrocatalysts for electricity-to-hydrogen applications.

Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Porous Nanotubes Derived from Metal-Organic Frameworks for Highly Efficient Overall Water Splitting.

SummaryEffective design of bifunctional catalysts for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is important but remains challenging. Herein, we report a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical structure composed of homogeneously distributed Ni-Fe-P nanoparticles embedded in N-doped carbons on nickel foams (denoted as Ni-Fe-P@NC/NF) as an excellent bifunctional catalyst. This catalyst was fabricated by an anion exchange method and a low-temperature phosphidation of nanotubular Prussian blue analogue (PBA). The Ni-Fe-P@NC/NF displayed exceptional catalytic activity toward both HER and OER and delivered an ultralow cell voltage of 1.47 V to obtain 10 mA cm−2 with extremely excellent durability for 100 h when assembled as a practical electrolyser. The extraordinary performance of Ni-Fe-P@NC/NF is attributed to the abundance of unsaturated active sites, the well-defined hierarchical porous structure, and the synergistic effect between multiple components. Our work will inspire more rational designs of highly active non-noble electrocatalysts for industrial energy applications.

CoP nanowires coupled with CoMoP nanosheets as a highly efficient cooperative catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

The rational design and construction of efficient electrocatalysts play a leading role for water splitting, but very rarely Pt-like activity has been obtained by non-noble metal catalysts. It is obvious that the cooperative coupling of non-noble metal catalysts could be regarded as a preferred alternative to Pt-based materials in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, a heterostructure electrocatalyst on Ni foam with CoP nanowires coupled with the defective CoMoP nanosheets (CoP/CoMoP) is first synthesized via hydrothermal method followed by low-temperature phosphidation. Results indicate that CoP/CoMoP shows extraordinarily efficient HER activity and robust stability, especially, high activity superior to that of commercial Pt/C in alkaline electrolyte, due to the cooperative effect of interfaces between CoP and CoMoP. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations certified that the interface between the CoP and CoMoP can improve the activity of HER, especially in alkaline condition, by facilitating the H2O-dissociation on the CoMoP and H-adsorption on the CoP. Moreover, the CoMoP with P defects can enhance the activity of HER by preventing the active sites of CoMoP and CoP from the blocking of OH*. It is expected that such heterostructure CoP/CoMoP could provide a powerful interface-engineering strategy to design and construct efficient cooperative electrocatalysts for HER.

Fe2O3@FeP core-shell nanocubes/C composites supported irregular PtP nanocrystals for enhanced catalytic methanol oxidation

The construction of highly active Pt-based catalyst for methanol electrooxidation is still an ongoing challenge. Herein, irregular PtP nanocrystals with the length is around 7 nm supported on the Fe2O3@FeP/C composites consisting of Fe2O3@FeP core-shell nanocubes and carbon black particles are synthesized by an integrated hydrothermal, low temperature phosphidation and NaBH4 reduction process. TEM and EDS reveal that both the presence of phosphorus (P) and the mild Pt reduction method are play a critical role in constructing irregular PtP nanocrystals. Interestingly enough, the confinement effect of carbon particles on iron ions in the process of hydrothermal reaction leads to the generation of Fe-precursor nanocubes. Benefiting from the P can effectively modify the electronic state of the Pt surface, the strong interaction between special irregular PtP nanocrystals and the support surface as well as Fe2O3@FeP core-shell nanocubes for the enhanced activation and decomposition of H2O molecules, the as-prepared PtP-Fe2O3@FeP/C-8 h catalyst exhibits better anti-CO poisoning ability, stability and excellent catalytic activity for methanol oxidation. Specifically, the mass activity (831 mA mg−1Pt) of PtP-Fe2O3@FeP/C-8 h is 4.6- and 2.1-times greater than that of home-made Pt/C (Pt/C-H) (180 mA mg−1Pt) and commercial Pt/C (Pt/C-JM) (393 mA mg−1Pt) catalyst in acidic medium. At the same time, the mass activity of PtP-Fe2O3@FeP/C-8 h is as high as 3215 mA mg−1Pt, which is much higher than those of Pt/C-H (1298 mA mg−1Pt) and Pt/C-JM (1548 mA mg−1Pt) catalysts in alkaline medium. The present work provides a new entry points into the synthetic way for the irregular PtP nanocrystals and cheap co-catalytic species for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR).

Constructing Bifunctional 3D Holey and Ultrathin CoP Nanosheets for Efficient Overall Water Splitting.

Pursuing cost-effective water-splitting catalysts is still a significant scientific challenge to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from various renewable feedstocks. The construction of controllable binder-free nanostructures with self-standing holey and ultrathin nanosheets is one of the promising approaches. Herein, by employing a combination of the potentiodynamic mode of electrodeposition and low-temperature phosphidation, three-dimensional (3D) holey CoP ultrathin nanosheets are fabricated on a carbon cloth (PD-CoP UNSs/CC) as bifunctional catalysts. Electrochemical tests show that the PD-CoP UNSs/CC exhibits outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction performance at all pH values with overpotentials of 47, 90, and 51 mV to approach 10 mA cm-2 in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media, respectively. Meanwhile, only a low overpotential of 268 mV is required to drive 20 mA cm-2 for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media. Cyclic voltammetry and impedance studies suggest the enhanced performance is mainly attributed to the unique 3D holey ultrathin nanosheets, which could increase the electrochemically active area, facilitate the release of gas bubbles from electrode surfaces, and improve effective electrolyte diffusion. This work suggests an efficient path to design and fabricate non-noble bifunctional electrocatalysts for water splitting at a large scale.

Controllable synthesis of 3D nitrogen-doped carbon networks supported SnxPy nanoparticles as high performance anode for lithium ion batteries

SnxPy nanoparticles were controllably synthesized on 3D nitrogen-doped carbon networks (SnxPy/C) by a freeze drying and low-temperature phosphidation process. Interestingly, the product phase (Sn4P3, SnP0.94) could be varied by the SnCl4 concentrations and the doping of SnP0.94 could significantly enhance the cycling properties of Sn4P3 for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The obtained SnxPy nanoparticles (5–10 nm) were anchored on the 3D nitrogen-doped carbon networks (N-CN), which protected SnxPy from serious agglomeration and large volume expansion. Meanwhile, the N-CN possessed a highly interconnected 3D network structure and good conductivity, so the transportation of Li+ would be speed up to enhance the electrochemical performance. As the LIBs anode, SnxPy/C displayed the best cycling performance with 2 M SnCl4 solution, which remained a high capacity of 718 mAh g−1 after 120 cycles (100 mA g−1). The strategy of synthesis SnxPy/C could be expanded to controllable synthesis of other metal phosphides on 3D nitrogen-doped carbon networks for LIBs, catalysis, hydrogen generation, etc.

Flexible vanadium-doped Ni2P nanosheet arrays grown on carbon cloth for an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction.

Tuning the electronic structure, morphology, and structure of electrocatalysts is of great significance to achieve a highly active and stable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, combining hydrothermal and low temperature phosphidation methods, V-doped Ni2P nanosheet arrays grown on carbon cloth (V-Ni2P NSAs/CC) were successfully prepared for the HER. It is found that the prepared V-Ni2P NSAs/CC exhibits preeminent performance for the HER. Specifically, it only requires an overpotential of 85 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH solution. Moreover, the V-Ni2P NSAs/CC shows superior electrochemical stability, maintaining its HER performance up to 3000 cyclic voltammetry cycles. This work affords a guiding strategy for the synthesis of a high-performance and stable electrocatalyst for the HER.