Efficient hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline via novel hybrid of Pt deposited zinc phosphide nanosheets

[Display omitted] •A catalyst of ultrasmall Pt NPs deposited Zn-P supported 3D framework was prepared.•The self-supported and binder-free catalyst was used for HER in alkaline.•The catalyst had good catalytic behavior with overpotential of 74 mV at 10 mA cm−2.•The catalyst showed excellent stability for long-term operation. In this study, the formation of a novel electrocatalyst originated from small Pt nanoparticles attached on surface of zinc phosphide nanosheets was successfully prepared by facile method without the binder usage for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The as-prepared catalyst was a highly porous structure with large active surface area, thereby effectively promoting the catalytic activities towards HER. The catalyst exhibited a small overpotential of 74 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH medium, lower than other synthesized materials. The catalyst also showed a small Tafel slope of 55 mV dec-1 and long-term HER strength of 15 h at 20 mA cm−2. The excellent electrochemical behavior was primarily derived from the enhanced charge transfer and intrinsic activities of phases after Pt being inserted into structure of zinc phosphides. This study could offer an efficient approach for the synthesis of HER electrocatalysts in water splitting application.