Cu-Doped WS2/Ni3S2 Coral-Like Heterojunction Grown on Ni Foam as an Electrocatalyst for Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Finding an efficient and stable non-noble-metal catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline environments is of great significance for reducing the cost of the catalyst. In this work, we doped Cu to the surface of WS2/Ni3S2 coral-like heterojunction grown on Ni foam substrate by physical deposition, which can promote the transfer of interface charge. An excellent OER catalytic performance with an overpotential as low as 281 mV at a current density of 100 mA·cm−2 is reached. At the same time, the attenuation of the sample is not significant after the durability test for 20 h in a current density of 100 mA·cm−2. Theoretical calculations and experimental results show that the synergistic effect of interfacial charge redistribution through the Cu-doped WS2/Ni3S2 heterojunction accelerates the process of alkaline OER reaction. This study provides a novel idea for the synthesis of non-noble metal alkaline OER catalysts.