Boosting oxygen evolution reaction rates with mesoporous Fe-doped MoCo-phosphide nanosheets

Transition metal-based catalysts are commonly used for water electrolysis and cost-effective hydrogen fuel production due to their exceptional electrochemical performance, particularly in enhancing the efficiency of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode. In this study, a novel approach was developed for the preparation of catalysts with abundant active sites and defects. The MoCoFe-phosphide catalyst nanosheets were synthesized using a simple one-step hydrothermal reaction and chemical vapor deposition-based phosphorization. The resulting MoCoFe-phosphide catalyst nanosheets displayed excellent electrical conductivity and a high number of electrochemically active sites, leading to high electrocatalytic activities and efficient kinetics for the OER. The MoCoFe-phosphide catalyst nanosheets demonstrated remarkable catalytic activity, achieving a low overpotential of only 250 mV to achieve the OER at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2. The catalyst also exhibited a low Tafel slope of 43.38 mV dec^-1 and maintained high stability for OER in alkaline media, surpassing the performance of most other transition metal-based electrocatalysts. The outstanding OER performance can be attributed to the effects of Mo and Fe, which modulate the electronic properties and structures of CoP. The results showed a surface with abundant defects and active sites with a higher proportion of Co²⁺ active sites, a larger specific surface area, and improved interfacial charge transfer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that the catalyst's high activity originates from the presence of Mo⁶⁺/Mo⁴⁺ and Co²⁺/Co³⁺ redox couples, as well as the formation of active metal (oxy)hydroxide species on its surface.