Plasma-modified iron-doped Ni3S2 nanosheet arrays as efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

The development of efficient transition-metal catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction is significant to meeting global energy demands. In this study, to realize a high-performance electrocatalyst, we synthesize an Fe-doped Ni3S2 nanosheet material in situ on 3D structured nickel foam via the hydrothermal sulfide method, and then modify it by the dielectric barrier discharge plasma technique. Combining Fe atom doping and plasma modification increases the electrochemical surface area, provides an abundance of active sites, optimizes the electronic structure, and accelerates the reaction kinetics, thereby improving catalytic activity. As a result, the [email protected]1/4-Ni3S2/NF catalyst exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution reaction activity, only requires ultra-low overpotentials to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2, and exhibits excellent durability. This study proposes a novel method for rationally designing non-noble metal electrocatalysts.