Synthesis Of Transition-Metal Phosphides/Carbon Materials As The Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalyst

Depletion of fossil fuels and increased environmental concerns have triggered an urgent demand for clean and sustainable alternative energy sources.Hydrogen,as a clean and renewable energy resource,has been intensely investigated as an alternative to diminishing reserves of fossil fuels.So far,the most effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen production are Pt.The high price and relative rarity of these materials limit their applications and prohibit commercial deployment.Thus considerable research efforts have been made to develop high-property non-noble metal catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).Currently,Mo S2 and Mo Se2 have demonstrated good results as HER catalysts.Substantial challenges must still be overcome to further improve their catalytic efficiency and meet the requirements of practical application.In this report we expand development of transition-metal phosphides.The main points are as shown below:(1)In this section,we demonstrate a novel fabrication strategy via a simple two-step method for the synthesis of a neuron-like interpenetrativenanocomposite network of Co-P embedded in porous carbon nanotubes.The structure of the NIN-Co-P/PCNTs was characterized through SEM、TEM、STEM and XPS.In this work,the as-prepared NIN-Co-P/PCNTs composites exhibit a superior HER catalytic activity;an unprecedentedly high turnover frequency value and surface sites;the polarization curve of catalyst after 1200 cycles overlays almost exactly with the initial sweep,with negligible loss of cathodic current,suggesting the catalyst is highly stable and can withstand accelerated degradation.(2)Hybrids deriving from various small molecules compounds(C18H15P、C18H15OP、C18H15PS、C19H18ClP)and carbon nanotubes was successfully synthesized by a typical cyclic voltammetry(CV)deposition.The structure of the Co-P-O/CNTs was characterized through SEM 、TEM 、 STEM and XPS.The electrocatalytic activities for HER are investigated by LSV,EIS tests in an acid medium.The as-prepared Co-P-O/CNTs composites show good catalytic activity,long-term cycling stability and high TOF value for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).(3)The Co-P-O/CNTs composite was synthesized with carbon nanotubes and C18H12F3 P via a simple ultrasonic dispersion method and an electrochemical deposition treatment.SEM,TEM and XPS results prove that Co-P-O has been successfully doped into carbon nanotubes.The CV,EIS tests confirm that Co-P-O/CNTs exhibit highly electrocatalytic activity,good stability for the hydrogen evolutionreaction.