Structural Fine-Tuning and In-situ Generation of P, O Vacancies in Hollow Co-Ferrocene-MOFs Derived Phosphides for Efficient Water Oxidation

As the high overpotential of oxygen evolution reaction seriously affect the efficiency of water splitting, catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction need further improvement by precise structural design and fine-tuning. In this study, hollow Co-Ferrocene-MOFs derived phosphides are synthesized successfully. Phase conversion and vacancies generation are realized simultaneously in our strategy. By the subtle regulation of doped Zn, metallic Co₂P increases gradually in the mixed Co_nP crystal phases and abundant P, O vacancies generate in-situ. The synergistic effect of enriched P, O vacancies, metallic Co₂P and the unique morphology endows catalysts with more reaction sites and high conductivity, leading to a remarkable catalytical performance. Zn doped CoFeP@NC with Co/Zn feeding ratio of 1 : 3 offers small overpotentials of 270 mV and 313 mV at 10 and 100 mA cm⁻², respectively. This study introduces a promising strategy for the synthesis of high efficiency catalysts.