Cu-Co-Ni alloys: an efficient and durable electrocatalyst in acidic media

Abstract

We have developed efficient nanostructures of Cu–Co–Ni alloy with varied stoichiometry as an alternative to the costly Pt-based alloys for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). These nanoparticles were synthesized using the reverse micellar method. The size of the alloy nanoparticles varied from 40 to 70 nm. An enhanced catalytic activity as evident from high current density was observed for these Cu–Co–Ni (111) alloys which follows the Volmer–Heyrovsky mechanism. They have excellent stability (up to 500 cycles) and significant activity in acid media which might be due to the low hydrogen binding energy.