Accelerate the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction of the heterostructural Ni2P@Ni(OH)2/NF by dispersing a trifle of Ru on the surface

Abstract

Electrocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production plays a vital role in the development of new energy field, but there is still a lack of low-content precious metal or cost-effective non-noble metal catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Therefore, how to develop the catalysts with a smaller amount of precious metal to achieve higher performance is still a major challenge. Herein, we have fabricated Ru–Ni2P@Ni(OH)2/NF-2 heterostructure by phosphating Ni(OH)2/NF and then anchoring Ru on the surface through wet chemical strategy. Benefiting from its optimal ΔGH∗ and synergistic effect, this Ru–Ni2P@Ni(OH)2/NF-2 catalyst shows superior electrocatalytic HER kinetics in alkaline electrolyte. A small overpotential of 31 mV is needed for this electrocatalyst to obtain the current densities of 10 mA cm−2 with remarkable durability over 24 h. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of effective HER electrocatalyst with a low precious metal content.