Recent advances in transition-metal phosphide electrocatalysts: Synthetic approach, improvement strategies and environmental applications

[Display omitted] •Versatile applications of TMP electrocatalysts in environmental fields were reviewed.•Synthetic approach and improvement strategies of TMP electrocatalysts were summarized.•The related mechanisms during reaction process of TMP electrocatalysts were discussed.•Challenges and prospect of TMP electrocatalysts toward environmental applications were presented. Highly active, stable and low-cost electrocatalysts are critical to make environment-related electrocatalytic techniques commercially viable. Nanostructured transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have emerged as efficient and promising electrocatalysts in environmental applications owing to their tunable electronic structure, earth-abundance reserves as well as unique physiochemical properties. In this work, the up-to-date versatile applications of TMP electrocatalysts in environment-related fields were reviewed, including carbon dioxide electroreduction, nitrate electroreduction, urea electrooxidation, electrocatalytic treatment of organic wastewaters, and electroporation bacterial inactivation. In addition, various synthetic approach and improvement strategies of TMP electrocatalysts were summarized. Finally, future challenges and prospects of TMP electrocatalysts toward environmental applications were pointed out. This review should be of value to promote the development of TMP electrocatalysts and construct high-activity TMP electrocatalysts to tackle multiple environmental problems.