Rapid Synthesis of Nickel Boride/Graphene by Microwave Thermal Shock and its Application in Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract The urgent demand for sustainable and clean energy has promoted the development of water splitting. Herein, metal borides assisted synthesis of graphene-based material (Ni-B/G) has been carried out by facile and fast microwave heating method and applied to hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution. The Ni-B combining with 2D graphene give rise to highly efficient HER performance with low overpotential of 187 mV at current density of 10 mA cm −2 . In addition, it exhibits good stability and retains 76% of current density after continuous oxygen release. The excellent performance is ascribed to the synergetic effect of Ni-B and graphene. The Ni-B not only acts as initiator to adsorb microwave energy but also works as active centre of catalyst. The high conductivity and large specific area of graphene offer accessible contact between electrolyte and intermediates. Therefore, Ni-B/G indicates a promising candidate for HER in alkaline media.