Metal–organic framework-derived nickel phosphides as efficient electrocatalysts toward sustainable hydrogen generation from water splitting

Developing robust earth-abundant electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an ongoing scientific challenge. The cheap and active metal phosphides have emerged as new candidates for electrochemical HER. Herein, we report on the scalable synthesis of nickel phosphides (Ni₂P and Ni₁₂P₅) via directly phosphatizing a Ni-based metal–organic framework (MOF) for the first time. The MOF-derived Ni₂P nanoparticles exhibited high-performance for electrochemical HER, as manifested by a low overpotential and a large cathodic current density.