Mesoporous cobalt–cobalt phosphide electrocatalyst for water splitting

As a sustainable hydrogen/oxygen production method for the near future, water splitting is still dependent on the appropriate catalysts for acceptable efficiency. Here, for the first time, using silica template, a mesoporous cobalt-cobalt phosphide (Meso-Co/Co2P) electrocatalyst was produced. For investigating its structure, composition, and morphology, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses were accomplished. Chronoamperometry, cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry studies exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity. It needed only an overpotential of 57 mV to produce a 10 mA cm−2 of anodic current density. A water electrolyzer with Meso-Co/Co2P as both anode and cathode in an alkaline medium generated a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at the potential of 1.57 V.