Rapid preparation of high efficiency hydrogen evolution catalyst with hydrophilicity

Abstract

Abstract The electrolytic water method is an outstanding hydrogen production process because of its high stability and no restriction. A low-priced and efficient catalyst for electro-deposition of Ni–Co microspheres and nanoclusters on carbon steel (Ni–Co/CS) has been prepared by the dynamic hydrogen bubble template. In the 6 M KOH solution, Ni–Co/CS only requires an overpotential of 48 mV to provide a current density of 50 mA cm−2. At the same time, it also has a large electrochemically active specific surface area (ECSA) and a hydrophilic surface. In addition, the study about the influence of carbon steel (CS) on Ni–Co coatings and the comparison experiment for different base materials has been completed. The results prove that CS is an excellent base material for hydrogen production. It can help the Ni–Co catalyst to have a stable electrolysis in 6 M KOH for 500 h. The above properties of Ni–Co/CS catalyst make it a new choice of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water in practical applications.