Co/Co3ZnC heterojunction entangled with self-grown N-doped carbon nanotubes for hydrogen evolution reaction in both acidic and alkaline media

Abstract

The investigation of economically viable and effective electrocatalysts holds paramount importance in attaining sustainable progress in the production of hydrogen through water electrolysis. Despite notable progress in catalysts based on transition metals, their efficacy falls short of meeting the demands of industrial applications. The implementation of heterogeneous junction engineering emerges as a strategic approach to augment the efficiency of catalysts in water electrolysis, as it allows for the manipulation of the electronic structure of materials via interfacial effects. This study successfully synthesized a Co/Co3ZnC heterojunction intertwined with self-grown N-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) using solid-phase grinding combined with high-temperature pyrolysis. The optimized Co/Co3ZnC-2 complex, benefiting from the synergistic effect between the heterojunction and the CNTs framework, exhibited favorable hydrogen evolution performance. Specifically, it achieved overpotentials of only 261 mV and 226 mV at 10 mA cm−2 under acidic and basic conditions, respectively. Consequently, this study presents a pioneering method for producing heterogeneous electrocatalysts by synergistically utilizing the capabilities of various transition metal compounds, thereby contributing to the advancement of their application in the field of energy conversion.