MOF-Derived NiP x /C Nanocomposites as Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Enhanced Water Splitting

MOF-derived transition metal phosphides possess a large specific surface area and excellent electrical conductivity, thereby exposing an abundance of catalytically active sites. In this study, NiPx /C-400 °C nanocomposites were synthesized via medium-temperature phosphidation using Ni-MOF as a precursor template. The rich catalytic active sites in NiPx /C-400 °C endow it with superior electrocatalytic performance for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). When the electrocatalyst NiPx /C-400 °C was deposited on nickel foam, it exhibited low overpotentials of 311 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for OER and 77 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for HER in 1 mol/L KOH solution. Moreover, overall water splitting could be achieved at a cell voltage as low as 1.69 V.