Ultrafine cobalt molybdenum phosphide nanoparticles embedded in crosslinked nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber as efficient bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting

As a kind of high-performance and cost-efficient electrocatalyst in water splitting, the transition bimetal phosphides exhibit a promising prospect. Here, the composite of cobalt molybdenum phosphide nanoparticles embedded in crosslinked nitrogen-doped carbon nanofiber (Co0.4Mo0.6P@CL-NCNF) has been synthesized via an electrospinning process and pyrolysis treatment. As an effective hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst, the Co0.4Mo0.6P@CL-NCNF only requires the overpotentials of 81 mV and 219 mV at the current densities of 10 mA cm-2 and 20 mA cm-2, respectively. Moreover, the water electrolyzer with the Co0.4Mo0.6P@CL-NCNF as the cathode and anode catalysts requires a cell voltage of 1.59 V to reach a current density of 10 mA cm-2. The Co0.4Mo0.6P@CL-NCNF also achieves the excellent stability up to 24 h for HER, OER and overall water spitting in 1.0 M KOH. The excellent catalytic activity of the Co0.4Mo0.6P@CL-NCNF is benefits from the synergistic effect between components and the crosslinked structure of carbon nanofiber. Thus, the research provides a promising method for preparing carbon-based TMPs materials towards electrocatalysis.