Rich phosphorus vacancies N-doped C high-entropy metal phosphides for efficient electrocatalytic water oxidation

High-entropy materials have received increasing attention due to their unique physicochemical characteristics and remarkable properties for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The synthesis of high-entropy metal phosphides (HEMPs) has rarely been reported owing to the incompatibility between different metal ions and phosphorus. Herein, the phosphorus vacancies (Pv) enriched N-doped C HEMPs (N-C@CoNiMnCuFeP/NF) for OER were prepared by a facile ZIF-derived phosphide method. Abundant Pv and amorphous structures increase the active sites and modulate the electronic structure of electrocatalyst to improve the OER performance. Besides, the synergistic effect among the metallic elements is beneficial for enhancing the electrocatalytic activity. Accordingly, HEMP-450 shows outstanding catalytic performance with the overpotential of 199 mV and continuously reacts for 140 hours without performance degradation for OER at 100 mA cm−2. This work demonstrates a simple template strategy for reasonably preparing HEMPs electrocatalyst with rich Pv. [Display omitted] •The well-dispersed HEMPs are prepared via a facile ZIF-derived phosphide method at low temperature.•Abundant phosphorus vacancies and amorphous structures existing in HEMPs result in the increase of active centers.•The synergistic effect of HEMPs among the metallic elements is beneficial for enhancing the electrocatalytic activity.•The doping of heteroatom nitrogen can modify the electronic structure of the catalyst.•The optimal HEMP-450 catalyst has outstanding OER performance.