One-Step Synthesis of a Self-Supported Copper Phosphide Nanobush for Overall Water Splitting

[Image: see text] Developing cheap, stable, and efficient electrocatalysts is of extreme importance in the effort to replace noble metal electrocatalysts for use in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We report a three-dimensional self-supported Cu(3)P nanobush (NB) catalyst directly grown on a copper mesh via a one-step method. This nanostructure exhibits a superior catalytic activity of achieving a current density of 10 mA cm(–2) at 120 mV and exhibits a long-term stability in acid solutions. It shows a Tafel slope of 72 mV dec(–1) and an onset potential of −44 mV. This catalyst displays a good catalytic activity in basic electrolytes, reaching a current density of 10 mA cm(–2) at the overpotential values of 252 and 380 mV for HER and OER, respectively. The bifunctional Cu(3)P NB/Cu catalyst exhibits better catalytic performances than the Pt/C and IrO(2) catalysts in a two-electrode electrolyzer for overall water splitting.