Boosting the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction of Ni/Co9S8@FP heterostructures via interfacial synergistic effects

• Published in: Molecular catalysis Vol. 547; p. 113349
• Main Authors: Deng, Shuwei, Feng, Jinxian, Kong, Youchao, Li, Xiaoshuang, Santiago, Alain Rafael Puente, He, Tianwei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.08.2023
• Subjects: DFT calculation; Heterostructure; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Synergistic effect; Heterostructure; DFT calculation; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Synergistic effect
• ISSN: 2468-8231; 2468-8231
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mcat.2023.113349

•A new Ni/Co9S8 non-precious heterostructure electrocatalyst for alkaline hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis was fabricated.•An ultralow overpotentials of 76 mV for HER at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH was achieved on the optimized electrocatalyst.•The Ni/Co9S8@FP is able to maintain a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at 380 mV (vs. RHE) for 37 h.•The synergistic effect of Ni and Co9S8 lead to the moderate hydrogen adsorption on Ni surface, thus improving the interfacial water dissociation. Hydrogen from electrolysis cell driven by sustainable electricity is one of the most clean and renewable energy sources. The design and synthesis of efficient and robust noble-metal-free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are of paramount importance in modern society. Herein, we developed a simple two-step strategy to construct a new Ni/Co9S8 heterostructure using carbonised (900 °C) filter paper (FP) as a precious metal-free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media. The optimized electrocatalyst can achieve an ultralow overpotentials of 76 mV for HER at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH. Moreover, it can be maintained a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at 380 mV (vs. RHE) for 37 h. More importantly, experimental and theoretical calculations reveal that the remarkable enhancement of HER activity could be attributed to the synergistic effect of Ni and Co9S8 that lead to the moderate hydrogen adsorption on Ni surface and improve the water dissociation at the interface of Ni/Co9S8. Our work paves a new pathway to design high-efficient electrocatalysts for massive hydrogen production. [Display omitted]