Fabrication of Graphene Oxide-Decorated Mesoporous NiFe2O4 as an Electrocatalyst in the Hydrogen Gas Evolution Reaction

Abstract

An electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction has been successfully synthesized from graphene oxide (GO) decorated with the mesoporous NiFe2O4. A high catalytic activity performance was reached by using the GCE surface as a conductor, and the synthesized composite contained GO/NiFe2O4. Based on the results, the as-prepared electrocatalyst exhibited a high overpotential for the HER reaction of 36 mV vs. RHE at a 10 mA current density, with an electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of 3.18 × 10−4 cm2. Additionally, the electrocatalyst demonstrated a considerably good performance after the 9000 s stability test. It is believed that such an enhancement in electrocatalytic activity was due to the synergistic effect between the unique porosity feature of the mesoporous NiFe2O4, which may provide a more active surface, and the high conductivity of the GO.