Green preparation of high-efficiency mesoporous MoP electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Abstract

The production of hydrogen generation catalysts through inexpensive, green and sustainable route is urgently needed in the context of “double carbon”. In this work, a new mesoporous transition metal phosphide (P–MoP@C) as electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution catalyst was prepared by a soft template method using polyoxometalate (POM), biomass gallic acid and ammonium polyphosphate through one-step phosphating and calcination process. The mesoporous structure is formed by organic-organic self-assembly strategy facilitated by strong hydrogen bonding between the pyrogallol group on gallic acid and the block copolymer. P–MoP@C shows good catalytic and stability properties, with overpotentials of 149 and 162 mV in alkaline and acidic solutions, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻². The mesoporous structure adds up to the quantity of exposed active sites, accelerates the electron transfer rate, and improves the catalytic performance of P–MoP@C. The use of plant polyphenols as a carbon source for the synthesis of green and environmentally friendly hydrogen evolution catalysts provides some reference value for large-scale industrial production.