Nickel sulfide and phosphide electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction: challenges and future perspectives

One-Step Electrodeposition of Ternary Metal Sulfide Composite Nanorod Arrays as a Self-Supported Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

In this study, a self-supported material with a unique ternary metal sulfide nanorod array structure was fabricated in situ on copper foam via a facile one-step electrodeposition approach ((NiCo-Cu)Sx/CF). The electrochemically driven rapid generation of abundant S2- ions from thiourea accelerates their combination with Ni2+ and Co2+, resulting in a catalytically enriched surface on the nanorod array. The high-density nanorod arrays provide maximally accessible active sites, thereby enhancing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The in situ grown self-supported structure effectively eliminates the need for binders (common in conventional catalysts), avoids additional interfacial resistance, and ensures long-term stability during electrocatalytic operation. The synergistic interactions among the metal components (Ni, Co, and Cu) optimize the local electronic environment, creating favorable conditions for catalytic hydrogen evolution. The experimental results demonstrate that the ternary metal sulfide nanocomposite (denoted as (NiCo-Cu)Sx/CF) exhibits superior hydrogen evolution reaction performance compared to its binary counterparts. Remarkably, the catalyst required only 42 and 161 mV overpotential to deliver 10 mA·cm-2 and 100 mA·cm-2 current densities in 1 M KOH, respectively, with 100 h operational stability. This work provides a viable strategy for developing self-supported ternary non-noble metal catalysts for energy conversion applications.

Enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction activity through samarium-doped nickel phosphide (Ni2P) electrocatalyst

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) stands out among conventional hydrogen production processes by featuring excellent advantages. However, the uncompetitive production cost due to the low energy efficiency has hindered its development, necessitating the introduction of cost-effective electrocatalysts. In this study, we introduced samarium doping as a high-potential approach to improve the electrocatalytic properties of nickel phosphide (Ni2P) for efficient HER. Samarium-doped Ni2P was synthesized via a facile two-step vapor-solid reaction technique. Different physical and electrochemical analyses showed that samarium doping significantly improved pure Ni2P characteristics, such as particle size, specific surface area, electrochemical hydrogen adsorption, intrinsic activity, electrochemical active surface area, and charge transfer ability in favor of HER. Namely, Ni2P doped with 3%mol of samarium (Sm0.03Ni2P) with a Tafel slope of 67.8 mV/dec. and overpotential of 130.6 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 in 1.0 M KOH solution exhibited a notable performance, suggesting Sm0.03Ni2P and samarium doping as a remarkable electrocatalyst and promising promoter for efficient HER process, respectively.

Highly Porous Carbon Flakes Derived from Cellulose and Nickel Phosphide Heterostructure towards Efficient Electrocatalysis of Oxygen Evolution Reaction

This study delves into the pressing challenges of climate change and the escalating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by exploring hydrogen technology as a sustainable alternative. In particular, there is focus on nickel phosphide-based electrocatalysts, known for their promising performance in hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) and oxygen evolution reactions (OERs). Therefore, here we have designed a facile strategy to deliver highly porous carbon flakes derived from cellulose fibers via carbonization at 850 °C, yielding highly porous structures and outstanding specific surface area (SSAcel_carb_850_act = 3164 m2/g) after activation. As-fabricated carbon was utilized as a support for Ni12P5 with an optimized mass ratio. Electrochemical testing revealed that the composite of Ni12P5 and carbon flakes with a ratio of 100:1, respectively, exhibited the most favorable kinetics for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Importantly, the durability tests of this sample demonstrated the most stable behavior and lowest potential change under high current density among the studied samples, making it a promising candidate in practical applications. Moreover, the analysis of electrocatalysts after an OER does not show any changes, indicating that the sample does not undergo undesired intermediate reactions and that unwanted products are not released, explaining its stable behavior. This provides a straightforward approach for creating a cellulose-derived composite with enhanced electroactivity and durability.

Hierarchical CoNiO2 Microflowers Assembled by Mesoporous Nanosheets as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

In order to alleviate the energy crisis and propel a low-carbon economy, hydrogen (H₂) plays an important role as a renewable cleaning resource. To break the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) bottleneck, we need high-efficiency electrocatalysts. Based on the synergistic effect between bimetallic oxides, hierarchical mesoporous CoNiO₂ nanosheets can be fabricated. Combining physical representations with electrochemical measurements, the resultant CoNiO₂ catalysts present the hierarchical microflowers morphology assembled by mesoporous nanosheets. The ultrathin two-dimensional nanosheets and porous surface characteristics provide the vast channels for electrolyte injection, thus endowing CoNiO₂ the outstanding HER performance. The excellent performance with a fewer onset potential of 94 mV, a smaller overpotential at 10 mA cm^-2, a lower Tafel slope of 109 mV dec^-1 and better stability after 1000 cycles makes CoNiO₂ better than that of metallic Co and metallic Ni.