One-Dimensional CoMoP Nanostructures as Bifunctional Electrodes for Overall Water Splitting

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Conventional catalysts for water splitting face limitations in efficiency and cost.
• Bifunctional catalysts are crucial for improving overall water-splitting performance.
• Transition-metal-based materials offer potential as high-quality catalyst substitutes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize cobalt-molybdenum bimetallic phosphide nanofibers (CoMoP NFs) as efficient electrocatalysts.
• To evaluate the bifunctional catalytic activity of CoMoP NFs for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
• To assess the stability and performance of CoMoP NFs in an alkaline electrolyte for overall water splitting.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of CoMoP NFs via pyrolysis of electrospun PAN and metal salts, followed by gas-solid phosphating.
• Electrochemical characterization using cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry.
• Evaluation of catalytic activity and stability in 1M KOH electrolyte.

Main Results:

• CoMoP NFs exhibited superior catalytic activity for OER with low overpotentials (362 mV at 50 mA cm⁻², 391 mV at 100 mA cm⁻²).
• CoMoP NFs showed efficient HER performance with a low overpotential of 126 mV at 10 mA cm⁻².
• The bifunctional CoMoP NFs electrode demonstrated excellent stability for overall water splitting at 1.75 V for 40 hours.

Conclusions:

• Facile synthesis of one-dimensional CoMoP NFs provides an effective electrocatalyst.
• CoMoP NFs possess excellent bifunctional activity and stability for overall water splitting in alkaline media.
• This study presents a promising pathway for developing advanced electrocatalysts for clean energy applications.