Simple synthesis of two-dimensional MoP2 nanosheets for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

We report a new method for facile synthesis of MoP2 nanosheets for efficient electrocatalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The resulting MoP2 nanosheets catalyze the HER in 0.5 M H2SO4 with an overpotential of 150 mV being required to deliver a current of 10 mA cm−2, and a Tafel slope of 81.5 mV dec−1 indicating prevalence of a Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism and hence H2 desorption as the rate limiting step of the reaction. The HER overpotential remained nearly constant after over 1000 cycles of continuous cyclic potential polarization between 0.0 V and −0.4 V, and 10 h of chronoamperometric polarization at an overpotential of 150 mV. This work expands the synthetic methods for MoP2 nanosheets as active, acid-stable and non-noble-metal HER catalysts for large-scale hydrogen production.