Issue 45, 2018

From an Fe2P3 complex to FeP nanoparticles as efficient electrocatalysts for water-splitting

Abstract

In large-scale, hydrogen production from water-splitting represents the most promising solution for a clean, recyclable, and low-cost energy source. The realization of viable technological solutions requires suitable efficient electrochemical catalysts with low overpotentials and long-term stability for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) based on cheap and nontoxic materials. Herein, we present a unique molecular approach to monodispersed, ultra-small, and superiorly active iron phosphide (FeP) electrocatalysts for bifunctional OER, HER, and overall water-splitting. They result from transformation of a molecular iron phosphide precursor, containing a [Fe2P3] core with mixed-valence FeIIFeIII sites bridged by an asymmetric cyclo-P(2+1)3− ligand. The as-synthesized FeP nanoparticles act as long-lasting electrocatalysts for OER and HER with low overpotential and high current densities that render them one of the best-performing electrocatalysts hitherto known. The fabricated alkaline electrolyzer delivered low cell voltage with durability over weeks, representing an attractive catalyst for large-scale water-splitting technologies.

Graphical abstract: From an Fe2P3 complex to FeP nanoparticles as efficient electrocatalysts for water-splitting

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
31 iyl 2018
Accepted
15 sen 2018
First published
17 sen 2018
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2018,9, 8590-8597

From an Fe2P3 complex to FeP nanoparticles as efficient electrocatalysts for water-splitting

S. Yao, V. Forstner, P. W. Menezes, C. Panda, S. Mebs, E. M. Zolnhofer, M. E. Miehlich, T. Szilvási, N. Ashok Kumar, M. Haumann, K. Meyer, H. Grützmacher and M. Driess, Chem. Sci., 2018, 9, 8590 DOI: 10.1039/C8SC03407A

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