Phosphorus‐Doped Iron Nitride Nanoparticles Encapsulated by Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanosheets on Iron Foam In Situ Derived from <i>Saccharomycetes Cerevisiae</i> for Electrocatalytic Overall Water Splitting
Guixiang Li, Jiayuan Yu, Wanqiang Yu, Linjing Yang, Xiaoli Zhang, Xiaoyan Liu, Hong Liu, Weijia Zhou
Abstract
Abstract It is vitally essential to propose a novel, economical, and safe preparation method to design highly efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, phosphorus‐doped iron nitride nanoparticles encapsulated by nitrogen‐doped carbon nanosheets are grown directly on the iron foam substrate (P‐Fe 3 N@NC NSs/IF) by in situ deriving from Saccharomycetes cerevisiae ( S. cerevisiae ), where anion elements of C, N, and P all from S. cerevisiae replace the hazardous CH 4 , NH 3 , and H 3 P. The diffusion pattern of N, P in S. cerevisiae and contact form between metal and S. cerevisiae observably affect the composition and phase of the product during high‐temperature calcination. The obtained P‐Fe 3 N@NC NSs/IF demonstrates superior electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction, also satisfying durability. Theoretical calculation confirms that Fe sites of P‐Fe 3 N serve as the active center, and N sites and P doping regulate the hydrogen binding strength to enhance catalytic ability. Additionally, the two‐electrode electrolyzer assembled by P‐Fe 3 N@NC NSs/IF as both anode and cathode electrodes needs only 1.61 V to reach 10 mA cm −2 for overall water splitting with a superb stability. The S. cerevisiae ‐based process presents a feasible approach for synthesis of nitrides, carbides, phosphides, and electrocatalytic applications.