Ethylene glycol diethyl ether accelerated in-situ growth of Pt/Ni(OH)2 nanosheets on Ni foam for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction

• Published in: Applied surface science Vol. 629; p. 157433
• Main Authors: Liang, Changhui, Fan, Hongjun, Kong, Aiqun, Peng, Mao, Liu, Menghui, Xu, Weizhuo, Song, Jian, Li, Yongxin, Zhang, Jinli, Ding, Yunjie, Conrad Zhang, Z.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 30.08.2023
• Subjects: Alkaline HER; EGDE dioxygen ether; In-situ induction strategy; Pt electrocatalyst; β-Ni(OH)2 nanosheet; β-Ni(OH)2 nanosheet; In-situ induction strategy; EGDE dioxygen ether; Alkaline HER; Pt electrocatalyst
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.157433

[Display omitted] •A facile one-step strategy to construct Pt/Ni(OH)2 hybrid surface in-situ grown on nickel foam (NF) substrate in EGDE-containing solution.•Pt nanoparticles are well dispersed on Ni(OH)2 nanosheets with particle size at 2.2 nm.•DFT calculation reveals the vital function of EGDE for fabricating Pt/Ni(OH)2/NF electrode without extra Ni source.•The fabricated self-supported Pt/Ni(OH)2/NF electrode shows excellent alkaline HER performance especially under large current density. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity of Pt-based electrocatalysts in alkaline solution is typically limited by the rate of water dissociation. Herein, we report a facile one-step strategy in the synthesis of Pt/Ni(OH)2 heterojunction for enhanced HER activity. Ultrathin Ni(OH)2 nanosheets decorated with uniformly dispersed Pt nanoparticles at average sizes of 2.2 nm are in-situ grown on nickel foam (NF) with binder-free feature under mild conditions due to induction by ethylene glycol diethyl ether, even without adding extra Ni2+ sources. The synthesized Pt/Ni(OH)2/NF shows superior HER activity in 1.0 M KOH solution, achieving low overpotentials of 42, 91, and 114 mV at current densities of 10, 100, and 200 mA cm−2 and outstanding durability for 25 h at 25 mA cm−2 without noticeable Pt agglomeration. This work offers a mechanistic insight into one-step fabrication of Pt/Ni(OH)2-based catalyst with high activity and stability for HER.