Graphene oxide decorated nickel-cobalt nanosheet structures based on carbonized wood for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Nickel-based materials exhibit great potential in the field of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), however, the low catalytic active site and poor corrosion resistance still limit further application. Herein, a novel 3D self-supporting electrode of graphene oxide/nickel-cobalt/carbonized wood (GO/Ni–Co/CW) based on porous carbon is developed. The self-supporting structure of the electrode effectively prevents the shedding of catalytic materials, while the exposed active sites of the Ni–Co nanosheets ensure excellent catalysis and the decoration of GO further enhances the HER performance. Evidently, GO/Ni–Co/CW requires an overpotential of 52 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 70 mV in 1 M KOH to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the introduction of GO greatly improves the stability performance of the electrode due to its corrosion resistance, as found by the catalytic stability performance test. As a new idea, GO decorated Ni–Co nanosheets grown on wood-based porous carbon as electrodes fully combine and exploit the advantages of CW's 3D porous structure, Ni–Co nanosheets' catalytic activity, and GO's corrosion resistance, which provide an effective strategy for novel nickel-based HER electrocatalysts.