Hydrogen evolution reaction enhancement through cobalt oxide-cobalt phosphide interface engineering

Journal Article

2025

Published in: Emergent Materials

Non-noble transition metals, abundant and distinguished by their structural and catalytic properties, are the top choice for water electrolysis in recent times. Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a crucial process for sustainable energy production, as it enables the generation of clean hydrogen fuel from renewable sources. This study focuses on the synthesis of efficient Co3O4/Co2P electrocatalyst for the HER using a simple hydrothermal method. FTIR and XRD techniques were utilized to confirm the synthesis of heterostructured electrocatalyst Co3O4/Co2P and its counterparts (Co3O4 and Co2P), while SEM was used for morphological studies. The XPS analysis has been made to gain insight into the bonding environment of the catalysts. The electrocatalytic activity of these catalysts was investigated for HER in 0.5 M H2SO4. The Co3O4/Co2P heterostructure exhibited remarkable efficiency and durability, with overpotentials of 144 mV and 278 mV at 10 mAcm−2 current density and a low Tafel slope of 57 mV / dec, along with good electrochemical stability for an extended period of more than 12 h. This performance surpassed that of its individual components (Co3O4 and Co2P) in the same electrochemical environment. The Co3O4/Co2P electrocatalyst demonstrated continuous hydrogen production at -0.3 V (vs. RHE), highlighting its high activity for HER and suggesting a promising avenue for substituting noble metals with non-noble metal electrocatalysts in HER applications. © Qatar University and Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

• Publisher Name: Emergent Materials