Highly-Efficient Ni@CuS/SGCN Nanocomposite with Superior Bifunctional Electrocatalytic Activity for Water Splitting

Abstract

The contemporary world faces significant challenges with the depletion of non-renewable energy sources and the escalation of global temperatures. Using H2 as an energy source is a sustainable, renewable, and environmentally friendly alternative. Electrochemical water splitting using an efficient electrocatalyst is an optimistic approach for hydrogen production. The primary concern is the development of a durable, cost-effective, and highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst to enhance electrochemical water splitting. The present investigation employs CuS as the electrocatalyst, followed by the implementation of two techniques, doping and composite material synthesis, to enhance its electrocatalytic characteristics. CuS samples doped with varying weight percentages of Ni (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt.%) and a composite material of 6% Ni@CuS with SGCN were synthesized using the co-precipitation method. The electrocatalysts were studied by characterization techniques such as SEM, EDX, FTIR, and XRD. Doping and composite material synthesis enhance the electrochemical water-splitting activity, as LSV, CV, EIS, and Chronopotentiometry analyses demonstrated. The electrochemical water splitting process exhibits maximum performance when utilizing Ni@CuS/SGCN, resulting in a low overpotential of 380 mV for OER and 178 mV for HER, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm−2. The findings indicate that composite Ni@CuS/SGCN can potentially serve as an electrocatalyst for water splitting.