Graphitized carbon nanosheets doped with phosphorus heteroatoms and molybdenum phosphide nanoparticles: A novel cathodic catalyst for fuel cell applications

High-efficiency catalysts are required for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cell applications. Herein, we present a novel hybrid material that is based on uniformly deposited nanoscale molybdenum phosphide (MoxPy) nanoparticles on the structure of graphene nanolayers doped with phosphorus atoms (PG). With a positive onset potential of only -0.046V and a half-wave potential value of roughly -0.17V (vs. Ag/AgCl), the obtained hybrid showed good catalytic activity for ORR in 0.1M KOH electrolyte. It also demonstrated remarkable durability for oxygen reduction reaction in 0.1M KOH electrolyte when compared to state-of-the-art Pt/C material. The excellent ORR performance can be correlated to the development of a highly conducting microporous structure with highly active sites, which in turn encourages optimal adsorption of intermediates during the ORR process and thus enhances the catalytic process. This work can open a new path for the growth of promising highly efficient catalysts for affordable fuel cell applications.