Electrodeposited Ni-Sn-P electrodes for hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis

Abstract

Abstract Developing high-activity, Nobel metal-free electrodes is of utmost significance in the context of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this study, we employed an electrodeposited process to fabricate Ni-Sn-P films on a copper substrate. The microstructure and electrocatalytic properties of these Ni-Sn-P films were thoroughly characterized and subsequently compared to those of the reference Ni-P films.Remarkably, the Ni-Sn-P electrode exhibited an impressively low overpotential of −84 mV at a current density of −10 mA cm−2 in a 1 M NaOH solution. This value was found to be 172 mV lower than that of the Ni-P electrode, thereby establishing the superior electrocatalytic activity of the Ni-Sn-P electrode. Moreover, the excellent electrocatalytic stability of the Ni-Sn-P electrode was demonstrated over a time span of at least 25 h.The exceptional attributes of the Ni-Sn-P electrode can be ascribed to its larger active surface area, lower Tafel slope, and reduced charge transfer resistance. The utilization of Ni-Sn-P films as electrode materials holds great potential in advancing the field of HER due to their enhanced performance compared to conventional Ni-P films.