Rational Assembly of the NiMoP/NiCoZn Heterostructure Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction at High Current Densities

Developing a cost-effective hydrogen (H2) evolution electrocatalyst can effectively solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by excessive fossil fuel use. Herein, we report an innovative synthetic strategy, involving hydrothermal electrodeposition of a NiCoZn film on commercial carbon fiber paper (CFP) and in situ cyclic voltammetric electrodeposition of NiMoP to prepare a heterostructure electrocatalyst (NiMoP/NiCoZn/CFP) with synergistic electrocatalytic activity toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). To deliver high current densities of 500 and 1000 mA cm–2, the NiMoP/NiCoZn/CFP electrode only required overpotentials of 230 and 268 mV, respectively, which were considerably superior to those of Pt–C/CFP (457 and 592 mV, respectively). Moreover, this electrode exhibited excellent ultrastability (40 h at 500 mA cm–2 or 80 h at 1 A cm–2). The superior electrocatalytic HER activity is attributed to (1) cooperative electronic interactions between NiMoP and NiCoZn in the heterointerface and (2) the complete wettability, which is advantageous for gas formation and desorption and considerably reduces bubble adhesion and reaction resistance. This work provides a rational electrodeposition strategy for constructing heterointerface electrocatalysts for H2 production at high current densities.