CO2 assisted synthesis of silk fibroin driven robust N-doped carbon aerogels coupled with nickel–cobalt particles as highly active electrocatalysts for HER

Abstract

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), has been considered as an ideal alternative energy system to alleviate the global energy crisis. Unfortunately, the rational design of a cost-effective, highly active and stable electrocatalyst remains a tough challenge. In this work, a CO2 assisted synthesis of N- doped carbon aerogel derived from silk fibroin (SFCA) without any additives was used to anchor Nickel–Cobalt (NiCo) nanoparticles as an HER electrocatalyst in basic medium (1 M KOH). The obtained SFCA-NiCo electrocatalyst demonstrated outstanding electrochemical performance having an onset potential of 52 mV and a low overpotential of 179 mV at current density of 10 mA cm−2, whilst exhibiting long term stability when tested for 24 h. The outstanding electrocatalytic performance marks SFCA-NiCo as a favourable electrocatalyst for HER and the synthesis strategy paves way for constructing novel catalysts even for other areas.