Synthesis of Iron Phosphide Nanoclusters by an Electroless Plating Method for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The oxygen evolution reaction is a significant component of water splitting, and the design of anode electrocatalysts is the key to achieving efficient electrochemical water oxidization. However, the high price of anode electrocatalysts like RuO₂ or IrO₂ limits their wide application. Herein, we introduce the employment of FeP_x grown on C as a catalyst with high activity and low cost, containing a special nanocluster structure formed by a simple chemical reduction combined with an electroless plating method. The performance of FeP_x/C shows a low overpotential of 273 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², a Tafel slope of 56 mV dec⁻¹ and a long continuous oxygen evolution for 5 h in 1.0 M potassium hydroxide. Such superior performance can be attributed to the porous structure of the iron phosphide nanoclusters. Our work not only shows excellent performance, but also provides a workable design for non-noble catalysts.