Novel heterostructure Cu₂S/Ni₃S₂ coral-like nanoarrays on Ni foam to enhance hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media.

ABSTRACT: Exploring efficient alternatives to precious noble metal catalysts is a challenge. Here, a new type of non-noble metal Cu₂S/Ni₃S₂ heterostructure nanosheet array is fabricated on 3D Ni foam. This electrocatalyst has excellent activity and durability to Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) under alkaline conditions. The synergistic catalysis produced by the {2̄10} and (034) crystal planes and the increase in charge transfer and the number of active sites caused by lattice defects greatly improve the electrocatalytic activity of Ni₃S₂. In the HER process, the Cu₂S/Ni₃S₂ interface increases the formation of S-H bonds, and Cu₂S promotes the transformation during the HER process into S-doped CuO, optimizing the adsorption capacity of S-doped sites for H. Among electrocatalysts made with different feed ratios, Cu₂S/Ni₃S₂/NF-3, for HER, only needs an overpotential of 50 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm^-2. This work provides a promising non-noble metal electrocatalyst for water splitting under alkaline conditions.

SUBMITTER: Peng Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9044425 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature