Improved hydrogen evolution performance of Ni-based nanoporous catalyst with Mo and B co-addition

Abstract

The exploration of efficient and stable noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great interest for the development of electrochemical hydrogen production technologies. Herein, nanoporous Ni-based catalyst with Mo and B co-addition (NiMoB) prepared by dealloying is reported as an efficient electrocatalysts for HER. The nanoporous NiMoB achieves an overpotential of 31 mV at 10 mA cm−2, along with exceptional catalytic stability in alkaline electrolyte. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the incorporation of Mo and B can synergistically optimize the electronic structure and regulate the adsorption of HER intermediates on the Ni active site, thus accelerating the HER kinetics. This study provides a new perspective for the development of non-precious Ni-based catalysts towards efficient hydrogen energy conversion.