High-entropy phosphides (HEPs) have emerged as a groundbreaking class of materials for electrocatalytic applications, leveraging their unique compositional complexity and configurational entropy to enhance catalytic performance. Recent studies have demonstrated that HEPs, such as (FeCoNiMnMo)P, exhibit exceptional hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity with an overpotential of 32 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² in alkaline media, outperforming traditional Pt/C catalysts. This is attributed to the synergistic effects of multiple metal sites, which optimize hydrogen adsorption energies and facilitate electron transfer. Additionally, HEPs show remarkable stability, retaining 95% of their initial activity after 100 hours of continuous operation. The tunability of HEPs allows for precise control over electronic structure and surface properties, making them versatile candidates for a wide range of electrochemical reactions.
In the context of oxygen evolution reaction (OER), HEPs have demonstrated unparalleled efficiency due to their ability to stabilize high oxidation states and promote lattice oxygen participation. For instance, (CrFeCoNiMo)P achieved an OER overpotential of 240 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² in 1 M KOH, significantly lower than that of benchmark IrO₂ (300 mV). This performance is driven by the formation of active oxyhydroxide species on the surface during catalysis, which are stabilized by the high-entropy matrix. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the presence of multiple metal cations reduces the energy barrier for O-O bond formation, enhancing reaction kinetics. The durability of HEPs in OER is also noteworthy, with only a 5% loss in activity observed after 50 hours of testing.
HEPs are also gaining attention for their potential in CO₂ reduction reactions (CO₂RR), where their complex surfaces enable selective conversion to valuable hydrocarbons. A recent study on (FeCoNiCuZn)P demonstrated a Faradaic efficiency of 92% for CO production at -0.6 V vs. RHE, surpassing traditional Cu-based catalysts. The high-entropy structure facilitates CO₂ adsorption and activation while suppressing competing hydrogen evolution. In situ spectroscopic studies reveal that the presence of multiple metal sites creates a dynamic surface environment that stabilizes key intermediates such as *COOH and *CO. This results in enhanced selectivity and activity, with current densities reaching 50 mA cm⁻² at moderate overpotentials.
The synthesis of HEPs has also seen significant advancements, with scalable methods such as mechanochemical alloying and low-temperature phosphidation enabling precise control over composition and morphology. For example, a one-step phosphidation process yielded (FeCoNiMnMo)P nanoparticles with a specific surface area of 120 m² g⁻¹, significantly higher than traditional phosphides (<50 m² g⁻¹). This high surface area enhances active site exposure and mass transport, further boosting catalytic performance. Moreover, these synthesis techniques are cost-effective and environmentally friendly, making HEPs viable for large-scale industrial applications.
Finally, the integration of HEPs into device-level systems has shown promising results in renewable energy technologies. In proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs), (FeCoNiMnMo)P-based cathodes achieved a cell voltage of 1.65 V at 1 A cm⁻², outperforming commercial Pt/C-based systems (1.75 V). Similarly, in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), HEP anodes exhibited a power density of 2.8 W m⁻² compared to conventional carbon anodes (1.5 W m⁻²). These results highlight the potential of HEPs to revolutionize energy conversion and storage systems by combining high activity, stability, and scalability.
Atomfair (atomfair.com) specializes in high quality science and research supplies, consumables, instruments and equipment at an affordable price. Start browsing and purchase all the cool materials and supplies related to High-entropy phosphides for electrocatalysis!
← Back to Prior Page ← Back to Atomfair SciBase
© 2025 Atomfair. All rights reserved.