Progress in the development of heteroatom-doped nickel phosphates for electrocatalytic water splitting

Yanhui Yu; Qingrong Chen; Jing Li; Peng Rao; Ruisong Li; Yanlian Du; Chunman Jia; Wei Huang; Junming Luo; Peilin Deng; Yijun Shen; Xinlong Tian

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2021.09.032

Progress in the development of heteroatom-doped nickel phosphates for electrocatalytic water splitting

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2022 Feb;607(Pt 2):1091-1102. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.09.032. Epub 2021 Sep 16.

Authors

Yanhui Yu¹, Qingrong Chen¹, Jing Li², Peng Rao¹, Ruisong Li¹, Yanlian Du¹, Chunman Jia¹, Wei Huang¹, Junming Luo¹, Peilin Deng³, Yijun Shen¹, Xinlong Tian⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan Provincial Key Lab of Fine Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan Provincial Key Lab of Fine Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China. Electronic address: jli@hainanu.edu.cn.
³ State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan Provincial Key Lab of Fine Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China. Electronic address: dengpeilin@hainanu.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan Provincial Key Lab of Fine Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China. Electronic address: tianxl@hainanu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34571296
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.09.032

Abstract

Hydrogen energy is expected to replace fossil fuels as a mainstream energy source in the future. Currently, hydrogen production via water electrolysis yields high hydrogen purity with easy operation and without producing polluting side products. Presently, platinum group metals and their oxides are the most effective catalysts for water splitting; however, their low abundance and high cost hinder large-scale hydrogen production, especially in alkaline and neutral media. Therefore, the development of high-efficiency, durable, and low-cost electrocatalysts is crucial to improving the overpotential and lowering the electrical energy consumption. As a solution, Ni₂P has attracted particular attention, owing to its desirable electrical conductivity, high corrosion resistance, and remarkable catalytic activity for overall water splitting, and thus, is a promising substitute for platinum-group catalysts. However, the catalytic performance and durability of raw Ni₂P are still inferior to those of noble metal-based catalysts. Heteroatom doping is a universal strategy for enhancing the performance of Ni₂P for water electrolysis over a wide pH range, because the electronic structure and crystal structure of the catalyst can be modulated, and the adsorption energy of the reaction intermediates can be adjusted via doping, thus optimizing the reaction performance. In this review, first, the reaction mechanisms of water electrolysis, including the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction and anodic oxygen evolution reaction, are briefly introduced. Then, progress into heteroatom-doped nickel phosphide research in recent years is assessed, and a discussion of each representative work is given. Finally, the opportunities and challenges for developing advanced Ni₂P based electrocatalysts are proposed and discussed.

Keywords: Electrocatalysts; Heteroatom doping; Nickel phosphide; Water splitting.