Nanoarchitectonic manganese-cobalt phosphide through zeolitic–imidazolate framework for efficient electrocatalysis in hydrogen evolution reaction

Nanostructured materials with unique structural properties have attracted the interest of researchers, because these materials are rich in active sites, offer enhanced ion transport, and are robust for application in electrochemical energy storage and conversion. However, the synthesis of nanocubes of morphological metal phosphides, especially secondary metal-supported metal phosphide nanostructures, is still under research, due to the generation of synergistic effects. In this article, we present a Mn–Co metal phosphide in a nitrogen-doped carbon matrix (MnCoP₄ @NC), using zeolite imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) nanocubes. The addition of the surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) changes the morphology of dodecahedra to nanocubes during synthesis at room temperature. The ZIFs are then phosphided in a tube furnace at 450 °C in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. In addition, the electrochemical performance of the synthesized materials was investigated using the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The MnCoP₄ @NC shows excellent electrocatalytic activity of 206 mV overpotential to reach 10 mA·cm⁻² current density, as well as very good kinetic behavior and long-term stability up to a 25 h chronopotential run. The proposed material synthesis will support the development of nanoarchitecture materials for electrocatalyst-based energy applications.