Enhanced catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction performance of highly dispersed Ni2P nanoparticles supported by P-doped porous carbon

Abstract

The development of high-performance and non-noble metal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts is significant for industrial hydrogen production. Herein, we developed a facile hydrothermal synthesis of HER electrocatalyst (Ni2P/PC) of three-dimensional (3D) P-doped porous carbon (PC) supported Ni2P nanoparticles (Ni2P NPs). Ni2P/PC composites demonstrated a 3D lamellar porous structure with a large specific surface area (203.8 m2 g−1) and small particle size (15−20 nm) of Ni2P NPs. Furthermore, PC substrate was able to change the binding energy of Ni-P by adjusting the electron density of Ni2P. The Ni2P/PC catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity with an impressively low overpotential of 96 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a small Tafel slope of 67.01 mV dec−1 in HER. In addition, the electrocatalytic activity showed no obvious attenuation after 2000 cycles. P-doped porous carbon was proven as an ideal support for highly dispersed Ni2P NPs. This study paves the way for the development of highly efficient hybrid HER electrocatalysts.