Multi-walled carbon nanotubes with embedded nickel sulphide as an effective electrocatalyst for Bi-functional water splitting

Abstract

Water-splitting presents a viable solution to expanding energy needs. To maximise water-splitting performance, transition metal sulphides, a very efficient electrocatalyst, have been extensively researched. It is unable to generate hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) because to active sites and weak electrical conductivity. Some carbon-based materials offer superior dispersion capacities and bigger active sites for charge transfer to circumvent these restrictions. This work presents an efficient electrocatalyst combining carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and electrochemically active Nickel sulphides, Ni17S18 (NiS), synthesized by using a wet-chemical approach. The improved electrocatalytic performance of NiS@CNTs can be attributed to higher surface area and higher electrical conductivity of CNTs. Furthermore, linear-sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance analysis (EIS) were also utilized for the electrochemical investigations. The addition of CNTs to NiS showed a over-potential of 330 mV at 40 mA cm−2, with a Tafel slope of 47 mV dec−1 for OER. Similarly, we have also investigated the HER activity of the as-prepared electrocatalysts at the same current density, having a over-potential of 280 mV with a Tafel slope of 102 mV dec−1.