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Encapsulation of Ni 3 Fe Nanoparticles in N‐Doped Carbon Nanotube–Grafted Carbon Nanofibers as High‐Efficiency Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysts
Author(s) -
Li Tongfei,
Luo Gan,
Liu Kunhao,
Li Xin,
Sun Dongmei,
Xu Lin,
Li Yafei,
Tang Yawen
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201805828
Subject(s) - overpotential , materials science , electrospinning , carbon nanotube , chemical engineering , catalysis , carbon nanofiber , nanotechnology , nanofiber , nanoparticle , gibbs free energy , hydrogen , electrochemistry , composite material , electrode , chemistry , organic chemistry , polymer , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Abstract The exploration of cost‐effective yet high‐efficiency inexpensive electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of critical significance for future renewable energy conversion technologies. A feasible electrospinning strategy to construct a novel 1D hierarchical nanoarchitecture comprising Ni 3 Fe nanoalloy‐encapsulated carbon nanotubes grown onto N‐doped carbon nanofibers (abbreviated as Ni 3 Fe@N‐C NT/NFs) is demonstrated here. Benefiting from the abundant firmly immobilized Ni 3 Fe nanoparticles for catalytic sites and hierarchical fibrous nanostructures for effective electron transport and mass diffusion, the resultant Ni 3 Fe@N‐C NT/NFs display an extraordinary HER activity with a low overpotential of 72 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm −2 in KOH medium and a remarkable stability for 40 000 s. Theoretical studies corroborate that the resultant Ni 3 Fe@N‐C NT/NFs exhibit a favorable Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption (Δ G H* = −0.14 eV), further manifesting their superior HER activity. The present work will advance the development of highly efficient nonprecious electrocatalysts for energy conversion.