LAUSR

Abstract Ionic liquid/carbon nanotubes (IL/CNTs) composite was applied as the precursor to prepare CNTs-supported cobalt phosphide via low-temperature phosphidation. CoP (MBMG) /CNTs, generated from N,N -bis(4-(methoxycarbonyl)benzyl)- N -methyl- d -glucaminium dibromodichlorocobaltate(II) (MBMG) 2 -CoCl 2 Br 2 ), exhibits the best catalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction with an onset overpotential of 55 mV, a Tafel slope of 58 mV dec −1 , 95% Faradaic efficiency (FE), current densities of 10 and 20 mA cm −2 at overpotentials of 135 and 160 mV, and it can maintain the catalytic activity for at least 27 h. FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and XRD were utilized to investigate the phosphidation process. All experimental results confirmed that anion from (MBMG) 2 -CoCl 2 Br 2 can form CoP and glucaminium-based cation can become amorphous carbon after phosphidation to obtain the high HER activity of CoP (MBMG) /CNTs.