One-step electrodeposition synthesis of a ni–fe–sn electrode for hydrogen production in alkaline solution

Abstract

A Ni–Fe–Sn electrode was synthesized by a one-step electrodeposition method. Compared with Ni–Fe electrode, Ni–Fe–Sn electrode exhibited higher electrocatalytic activities towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 30 wt% KOH solution with a small overpotential of 333 mV (at 10 mA·cm−2), a high exchange current density of 1.42 × 10−3 mA·cm−2, and a small Tafel slope of 47.3 mV·dec−1. The excellent catalytic activity of the Ni–Fe–Sn electrode can be attributed to the high surface area and enhanced charge transport efficiency of this material upon the addition of Sn.