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Ternary Ni x Co 3− x S 4 with a Fine Hollow Nanostructure as a Robust Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution
Author(s) -
Wang MinQiang,
Ye Cui,
Bao ShuJuan,
Chen ZhaoYang,
Liu Heng,
Xu MaoWen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemcatchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.497
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1867-3899
pISSN - 1867-3880
DOI - 10.1002/cctc.201700935
Subject(s) - tafel equation , electrocatalyst , overpotential , ternary operation , electrochemistry , materials science , catalysis , chemical engineering , nanostructure , carbon nanotube , nanotechnology , chemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , computer science , engineering , programming language
The elaborate design of efficient and stable electrocatalysts from earth‐abundant elements to replace precious Pt for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an ongoing challenge. Doping metallic compounds with additional metal atoms provides the opportunity to tune their electronic and crystal structures, which thus ameliorates their electrocatalytic properties. Herein, we report for the first time a robust and earth‐abundant Ni‐doped Co 3 S 4 catalyst grown on carbon cloth that shows high HER activity in 1 m KOH. Morphology evolution and HER activity were found to be strongly related to the Ni substitution ratio. Electrochemical tests showed a low overpotential of 72.82 mV at 10 mA cm −2 , a small Tafel slope of 49.44 mV dec −1 , and long‐term durability over 46 h HER operation for the Ni 0.5 Co 2.5 S 4 nanotube array self‐standing on carbon cloth. These data indicate that atomic modulation of Ni plays an important role in optimizing the morphology and electrocatalytic activity by greatly expanding the active sites in the electrocatalyst. Further, the 3 D self‐standing nanotube array highly aids in the exposure of active species and the transfer of electrons and charges, which substantially boosts the reaction kinetics and stability of the structure.