The effect of calcination temperature on the hydrogen evolution reaction performance of Co/NiCoP nano-heterojunction

The energy crisis makes it a challenge to develop cost-effective, efficient and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this study, Co/NiCoP nano-heterojunctions grown on carbon cloth were reported for the first time through an electrochemical deposition - phosphatization strategy. Moreover, the effects of calcination temperature (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C) on the structure and morphology of the products were studied. The results reveal that: (a) Co/NiCoP with the morphology of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanoarrays (NAs) were fabricated under 300–350 °C and 450 °C, respectively; (b) increasing the calcination temperature lead to a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of Co/NiCoP catalysts, which was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; (c) benefiting from structure and electronic state of electrocatalysts, the catalyst that is calcined at 350 °C ( Co/NiCoP-350 NPs) is optimal for HER in alkaline media, it required only 54 mV overpotential to achieve a current density of − 10 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the good stability of Co/NiCoP-350 NPs for HER in alkaline media.