Three-dimensional heterogeneous copper cobalt phosphides Nanoflowers for enhancing catalytic performance for electro-oxidation of methanol

Background: Exploring electrocatalysts with low-cost, high-efficiency and durability for methanol electrocatalytic oxidation reaction is an urgent task. In this study, hydrangea-like CuCoPx (Cu3P/CoP/CoP2) assembled by nanosheets were prepared as a non-noble metal electrocatalyst. Methods: The hydrangea-like CuCoPx nanoflowers were characterized by the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). Using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the electrocatalytic activity, stability and durability of the catalyst were investigated. Significant Findings: The results demonstrate that the CuCoPx nanoflowers show high mass activity (287.4 mA mg(-1)) for methanol oxidation, which is 1.5 times higher than that of CoP. The prolong Cyclic voltammograms scanning (500 cycles) and chronoamperometry verify good stability and durability of CuCoPx in alkaline solution. The excellent electrocatalytic activity of CuCoPx is ascribed to synergistic effect of multicomponent and large specific surface area. This study may provide a new idea for transition metal phosphides for MOR. (C) 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.