Hydrogen is a renewable and environmentally friendly energy carrier and is considered a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Consequently, developing electrodes with excellent hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis is a top priority in research. However, the use of flat electrodes as cathode substrates by most researchers limits the electrocatalytic active area of the prepared electrode. To address this issue, it is essential to prepare a micro-nano structure on a cathode substrate before electrodeposition. This study introduced a novel Ni nanocone/Grid electrode, obtained through a combined laser-electrodeposition process to investigate its electrocatalytic activity and stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Various techniques, including linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and chronopotentiometry (CP) in 1 M KOH solution, were employed to assess the HER electrocatalytic performance of the Ni nanocone/Grid electrodes. The experimental results demonstrated that the electrodes could achieve current densities of -10, -20, and -100 mA/cm2 with corresponding overpotentials of -281, -308, and -390 mV, respectively. Additionally, the Tafel slope of these electrodes was found to be only -82.05 mV/dec. The enhanced catalytic performance of the electrode was attributed to the synergistic effect of the grid-like and nanocone structures, which significantly increased the electrocatalytically active area and improved surface hydrophilicity, thereby boosting electrocatalytic performance. The simplicity of the preparation method and the exceptional performance of the electrode provide a promising new avenue for future research on HER electrocatalysts.
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