CoP nanoparticles embedded in P and N co-doped carbon as efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting

Noble-metal-free hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction(HER/OER) electrocatalysts, especially bifunctional electrocatalysts, are essential for overall water splitting, but their performance is impeded by many factors like poor electrical conductivity. Herein, we fabricated cobalt phosphide(Co P) nanoparticles embedded in P and N co-doped carbon(PNC) matrix(Co P@PNC) to fully realize the high activity of Co P by maximizing its conductivity. Simply a carbonization coupled phosphidation approach was utilized where Co ions and organic ligands of Co-MOF were transferred into Co P and P and N co-doped carbon. The synthesized material shows an ideal electrical conductivity, excellent HER(overpotential of-84 m V and-120 m V @10 m A cm~(-2) in acidic and alkaline medias, respectively) and OER(overpotential of 330 m V@10 m A cm~(-2) in alkaline media) performances. Further, Co P@PNC acts as a superior catalyst for both anode and cathode to catalyze overall water splitting and only requires an voltage of 1.52 V to deliver a current density of 10 m A cm~(-2), superior to the noble-metal catalysts system(Pt/C//IrO_2) and the reported noble-metal-free bifunctional electrocatalysts.