Phosphorus-doped porous carbon with exceptional electrocatalytic performance for oxygen evolution reaction

The development of graphene-based electrocatalysts as viable substitutes for noble metals in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) holds great promise. However, controlling microstructures and active sites remains challenging. To elucidate reaction mechanisms and identify active sites, we synthesized carbon materials with tailored phosphorus doping via a stepwise carbonization process. This approach not only enhanced hierarchical porosity but also exhibited exceptional OER activity, surpassing existing nonmetal carbon materials and commercial RuO2 under alkaline conditions. Notably, we achieved an exceptionally low overpotential of 0.31 V. Electronic structure analysis reveals that the oxidation states of phosphorus atoms, particularly P-OH in COPO3 species, play a crucial role as active sites for OER. These findings provide significant insights for the rational design of efficient phosphorus-containing non-metallic OER electrocatalysts.