Ultrafine MoP Nanoparticles Well Embedded in Carbon Nanosheets as Electrocatalyst with High Active Site Density for Hydrogen Evolution

Graphical Ultrafine and uniform : MoP nanoparticles with an average size of 3.15 nm uniformly embedded in carbon nanosheets derived from glucose as electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution are prepared via a novel and simple solid-state reaction. Due to the large number of exposed active sites in the ultrafine MoP nanoparticles and the laminar structure of carbon nanosheets, the material shows remarkable catalytic activity in both, acidic and alkaline media. Electrocatalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising route for sustainable hydrogen production based on water splitting. Designing MoP nanoparticles as catalysts is a feasible strategy to enhance the electrocatalytic performance for HER. In response, we report the fabrication of ultrafine MoP nanoparticles (NPs) which are uniformly embedded on glucose-derived phosphorus and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanosheets (MoP/NPG) as an effective electrocatalyst for HER via a novel and simple solid-state reaction. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the resulting product exhibits an average size of 3.15 nm. Due to the presence of exposed active sites in ultrafine MoP NPs and the laminar structure of carbon nanosheets, the MoP/NPS shows remarkable high catalytic activity having a low overpotential of 90 and 115 mV to achieve the current density of 10 mA cm −2 in both, acidic and alkaline media, which demonstrates the promising potential for an application in sustainable energy production.