Mechanistic Insights into the Kinetics of Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Au@Nis Yolk@Shell Nanocrystals

Abstract

In order to resolve the energy issue, green and renewable energy demand is increasing rapidly. Hydrogen is thought as a clean energy fuel to replace traditional fossil fuels and it can be produced by electrocatalysis from hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, traditional HER uses Pt or Pt-based material as working electrode, which is highly costly and thus not desirable for practical applications. Recent developments have showed that transition-metal sulfides, phosphides and selenides can perform superior HER over noble metals with good stability and even dual function enabling overall water. In this work, we have synthesized Au@NiS yolk@shell nanocrystals for efficient HER. The pronounced electronic interactions between Au and NiS can facilitate interfacial charge transfer to promote the kinetics of HER. In-situ X-ray absorption spectroscopic measurements were conducted to explore the working mechanism of HER over Au@NiS. The HER performance and durability in a wide range of pH is also tested in order to demonstrate the wide application scenarios.