Gold-Incorporated\nCobalt Phosphide Nanoparticles on\nNitrogen-Doped Carbon for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis

Abstract

Transition\nmetal phosphides (TMPs) demonstrate great potential\nfor hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysis, but their\nactivities need further improvement. Herein we report a novel Au incorporation\nstrategy to boost the HER catalytic performance of CoP. As a proof\nof concept, heterostructured Au/CoP nanoparticles dispersed on nitrogen-doped\ncarbon with unique porosity, denoted as Au/CoP@NC-3, are synthesized\nby thermal treatment of Au-nanoparticle-incorporated ZIF-67 precursor.\nIt shows excellent HER activity as well as good durability in acidic\nand alkaline condition, respectively, greatly outperforming its Au-free\nanalogue, namely, CoP@NC. In-depth analysis suggests that the improved\nHER activity of Au/CoP@NC-3 is attributed to the presence of Au nanoparticles\nwhich enlarge the electrochemical active surface areas and adjust\nthe electronic structure of active CoP species to enhance the water\nadsorption and optimize H adsorption for the accelerated HER process.