Non-precious metal (NPM) hydrogen catalyst are low-cost and highly efficient for the acidic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the overall activity of NPM catalyst at high current remains orders of magnitude lower than commercial platinum (Pt)-based catalyst. Herein, we report synthesis of NPM cobalt phosphide (CoP) catalyst-coated metallic electrode for HER with high current density of 100 mA/cm² at − 151 mV versus a reversible hydrogen electrode which outperforms commercial Pt-C coated electrode. We introduce an interfacial C layer to improve acidic H₂ evolution reaction activity-stability trend at high current density which results comparable HER stability with atomic layer deposited Pt electrode. Finally, the electrode has been utilized as a cathode in electrochemical neutralization cells for full water splitting, Zn-H₂O battery and H₂/H⁺ fuel-cell, wherein electrochemical neutralization energy (ENE) converts to electrical energy toward enhancing device performance and simultaneous H₂ generation. This study presents a potential approach for non-platinum group HER catalysts in ENE-harvested systems.

非贵金属 (NPM) 氢催化剂对酸性析氢反应 (HER) 成本低、效率高。然而，NPM 催化剂在大电流下的整体活性仍然比商业铂 (Pt) 基催化剂低几个数量级。在此，我们报告了用于 HER 的 NPM 磷化钴 (CoP) 催化剂涂层金属电极的合成，该电极在 - 151 mV 时具有 100 mA/cm ²的高电流密度，而可逆氢电极的性能优于商业 Pt-C 涂层电极。我们引入了界面 C 层以改善酸性 H ₂在高电流密度下演化反应活性-稳定性趋势，导致与原子层沉积 Pt 电极相当的 HER 稳定性。最后，该电极已被用作电化学中和电池的阴极，用于全水分解、Zn-H ₂ O 电池和 H ₂ /H ⁺燃料电池，其中电化学中和能量 (ENE) 转化为电能以提高设备性能和同时产生H ₂。本研究提出了一种在 ENE 收集系统中使用非铂族 HER 催化剂的潜在方法。