Ultrafast Joule Heating Synthesis of Metal Phosphides for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Electrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies powered by renewable energy are crucial pathways toward achieving sustainable energy development, with hydropower exhibiting significant potential. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have shown great promise for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water electrolysis owing to their excellent physicochemical properties. However, traditional strategies for synthesizing TMPs generally involve time-consuming (≥2h) and energy-consuming high-temperature pyrolysis. Herein, we present a universal synthesis strategy based on ultrafast Joule heating (JH), for the efficient preparation of a broad range of TMPs within 60 s, encompassing both non-noble metal and noble metals, such as PtP₂, Pd₇P₃, CoP, FeP₂, Ni₂P, and RhP_x. As an example, the as-synthesized PtP₂ demonstrates outstanding HER performance, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of 32 mV in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte, along with good operational stability exceeding 50 h. This method not only provides a versatile platform for the rapid and facile synthesis of diverse metal phosphides, but also demonstrates the promising potential of JH-derived TMPs for energy-related catalytic applications and beyond.