Cobalt monophosphide@C (CoP@C) core-shell nanocables are successfully synthesized via a one-step fast reaction of cobalt(II) acetylacetonate [Co(acac)(2)] and triphenyl phosphine (PPh3) in a sealed tube at 400 degrees C for 1 h. The electrocatalytic property of the CoP@C nanocables towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, for the production of molecular hydrogen from water) has been investigated in the current work and it is found that the CoP@C nanocables exhibit a high electrochemical performance and excellent cycling stability. Moreover, investigations show that the carbon coating ensures a fast electron transport and effective restriction of corrosion during the catalytic process. We believe that the CoP@C nanocables would be promising candidates for electrochemical hydrogen production catalyst. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.