Tungsten doped FeCoP₂ nanoparticles embedded into carbon for highly efficient oxygen evolution reaction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical for industrial-scale water splitting.
• Economic viability and catalyst stability are key challenges in OER catalyst design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize an active, stable, and economically efficient electrocatalyst for OER.
• To investigate the effect of tungsten doping on the OER performance of iron cobalt phosphide.

Main Methods:

• A mechanochemical approach was used to prepare tungsten-doped iron cobalt phosphide incorporated with carbon (W-FeCoP2/C).
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to analyze the electronic structure and oxidation states of the catalyst components.
• Electrochemical performance for OER was evaluated in 1 M KOH.

Main Results:

• Tungsten doping increased the Co3+/Co2+ and Fe3+/Fe2+ molar ratios, enhancing OER activity.
• The optimized W0.1-FeCoP2/C achieved a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 264 mV.
• At 100 mA cm-2, the catalyst exhibited an overpotential of 310 mV with a Tafel slope of 48.5 mV dec-1, positioning it among the top phosphide-based OER catalysts.

Conclusions:

• Tungsten doping is an effective strategy to improve the OER performance of iron cobalt phosphide catalysts.
• The W-FeCoP2/C catalyst shows significant potential for industrial water splitting applications.
• This research provides insights for designing advanced phosphide-based OER electrocatalysts.