Hierarchical Edge-Rich Nickel Phosphide Nanosheet Arrays as Efficient Electrocatalysts toward Hydrogen Evolution in Both Alkaline and Acidic Conditions

• DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b06861
• Publication Date: 2019-03-22T18:58:08Z
• Authors: Qing Yan; Xi Chen; Tong Wei; Guiling Wang; Min Zhu; Yikuan Zhuo; Kui Cheng; Ke Ye; Kai Zhu; Jun Yan; Dianxue Cao; Yiju Li
• Keywords: Phosphide; Nanosheet; Reversible hydrogen electrode

Searching highly active, high stability, low-cost electrocatalysts toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is imperative for electrochemical production. We propose an effective synthetic method to obtain self-supported, hierarchical, and edge-rich nickel phosphide nanosheet arrays on foam (Ni2P NSs-NF), which are successfully employed as a high-efficiency, three-dimensional (3D) binder-free electrode HER. Benefiting from 3D open nanostructure with abundant edges in Ni2P NSs, NSs-NF exhibits superior activity HER both alkaline acidic conditions. It requires low overpotentials of 89 mV solution (1 M KOH) 67 (0.5 H2SO4) drive 10 mA cm–2 Tafel slopes 82 57 dec–1, respectively. Besides, hierarchical shows no apparent performance decay even after 10,000 cycles. Theoretical calculation results prove that free energy adsorption (211) crystal facet closest zero (−0.03 eV), supposed be most active site The freestanding prospective large-scale preparation hydrogen.