NiCoP–CoP heterostructural nanowires grown on hierarchical Ni foam as a novel electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract The design and manufacture of effective non-noble metal catalysts for the H2 evolution reaction (HER) are urgent for realizing a cost-effective hydrogen production. We report herein on flower-like structures consisting of NiCoP–CoP heterostructural nanowires grown directly on the hierarchically porous nickel framework (NiCoP–CoP/Ni/NF) to achieve a highly efficient HER in alkaline solution (1.0 M KOH). The NiCoP–CoP/Ni/NF is synthesized by electrodeposition of porous Ni layers on Ni foam, followed by simple hydrothermal reaction and phosphorization. For HER, the binder-free NiCoP–CoP/Ni/NF electrode can reach 10 mA cm−2 current density at a quite low overpotential of 49 mV, because of the combination of porous Ni layers and highly active NiCoP–CoP nanowires. In addition, the NiCoP/CoP heterostructures exhibited remarkable stability under the long-term durability test. This work provides a new strategy that combines electrodeposition and hydrothermal reaction to synthesize effective HER catalysts.