Introduction of manganese-iron phosphide as hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst based on their poly aspartic acid complexes
Elham Soltani, Mohammad Bagher Gholivand, Masoud Amiri
Abstract
Electrocatalysts play an important role in water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen, resulting in a clean and sustainable source of hydrogen energy. However, to make this process affordable and efficient, electrocatalysts that are highly active and low-cost are necessary. This study describes the use of poly aspartic acid ligand to coordinate the metal ions Fe 3+ and Mn 2+ , which are then precipitated, carbonized, and phosphorized to create MnFe/P/C coordination polymer structures . These structures serve as electrocatalysts for HER and exhibit effective activity, with an overpotential of 143 mV at the current density of 10 mA/cm 2 and a Tafel slope of 58.4 mVdec −1 . This performance surpasses that of oxide electrocatalysts. The high surface area of the MnFe/P/C nanocomposite contributes to its durability and efficiency. This study suggests that using transition metals and amino acids to construct electrocatalysts could lead to further advancements in HER electrocatalysts.