MOF-derived multicomponent Fe₂P-Co₂P-Ni₂P hollow architectures for efficient hydrogen evolution

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient electrocatalysts is crucial for hydrogen production.
• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable structures for catalyst design.
• Hollow architectures can improve mass transport and active site accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel multicomponent phosphide hollow architecture.
• To evaluate the electrocatalytic performance of the material for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
• To investigate the structure-activity relationship for enhanced HER.

Main Methods:

• Co-MOF was modified with Fe and Ni to create a multicomponent phosphide.
• The material's morphology was characterized as a hollow architecture with nanosheet walls.
• Electrochemical techniques were used to assess HER performance, including overpotentials and stability.

Main Results:

• The optimized Fe-Ni-Co phosphide exhibited low overpotentials for HER: 105 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and 161 mV at 100 mA cm⁻².
• The hollow, nanosheet-assembled structure provided a large active surface area and facilitated electrolyte penetration.
• The catalyst demonstrated excellent long-term stability, maintaining performance for over 100 hours at 10 mA cm⁻².

Conclusions:

• The multicomponent phosphide hollow architecture is a highly effective electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.
• The synergistic effect of Fe and Ni, combined with the unique nanostructure, enhances catalytic activity and durability.
• This work provides a promising strategy for designing advanced electrocatalysts for clean energy applications.