Ni-Co-P nanosheets in-situ grown at macroporous nickel mesh with promising performance for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline medium

作者：Huang, An; Liu, Peijun; Lin, Peihua; Fang, Ming; Jin, Guanping^*; Chen, Chunnian^*

来源：IONICS, 2023, 29(4): 1531-1541.

DOI：10.1007/s11581-023-04915-1

• Ni-Co-P nanosheets
• Electrocatalysis
• In-situ growth
• HER

Pursuing efficient, economical, and stable electrodes on hydrogen production by water splitting is of great significance for new energy sources. In this work, Ni-Co-P self-supported electrocatalyst at macroporous nickel mesh electrode (NCP/NM) was prepared by a combination of hydrothermal and phosphorylation reactions. The Ni-Co with spherical form was in-situ deposited on nickel mesh (NM) in the alkaline environment provided by aqueous ammonia. The phosphorylation process offered the doping of P elements at the surface of Ni-Co, forming irregular nanosheets. The fabricated electrode only needed to be supplied with an overpotential of 126 mV to respond to a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) in 1 M KOH electrolyte. The lower Tafel slope (87.62 mV dec(-1)) and charge transfer resistance suggested NCP/NM electrode exhibited competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. In addition, NCP/NM showed good durability and applicability in the alkaline medium. The increase in electrochemical active area, the fast electron transfer without binder, and the synergistic effect among Ni, Co, and P collectively contributed to the electrode with competitive hydrogen production performance. The inspiring HER performance of NCP/NM, as well as the low-cost and easily accessible synthesis method, displayed the enormous potential and advantages of its application in industrial water splitting for hydrogen production.