Synthesis and Properties of Nickel Copper Phosphorus (NixCuyPz) Catalyst

Abstract

Nowadays, scientists around the world are paying more attention to renewable hydrogen fuels. There is a growing need for precious metal catalysts to calculate the cost of obtaining renewable energy, an efficient method of producing H2 by electrolysis of water, as well as to facilitate the decomposition of water into its elemental parts. Today, due to the increase in the problem of the shortage of energy resources and the growing of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, attention is being paid to hydrogen energy. However, the production of H2 requires low-cost, efficient catalysts that facilitate hydrogen/oxygen separation reactions in the water splitting. For this purpose, intermediate metal phosphides (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, W) were used as effective electrocatalysts for water decomposition. The catalytic activity of intermediate metal phosphides to form hydrogen is largely dependent on the phosphorus content, but the P atoms play an important role in increasing efficiency. The production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water on the basis of bifunctional catalysts has good prospects for use in the energy industry. In the article, the one-step hydrothermal synthesis method and physico-chemical (electronic structure and conductivity, structure morphology) of double metal phosphide with NixCuyPz composition were studied.