In-situ construction of water-soluble C60 derivative modified cobalt phosphides for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution in acidic and alkaline media

•Two dimensional cobalt phosphides heterostructures were obtained via a facile one-step salt template method.•Water soluble fullerene derivatives uniformly anchored on the surface of CoP-Co2P.•The electron-withdrawing property of fullerene promotes interfacial charge transfer from CoP-Co2P to C60 derivative.•The composite exhibits an enhanced HER performance both in acidic and alkaline media.