Amorphous co-modified catalyst based on interfacial coupling effect for efficient hydrogen production by water electrolysis

Development of synthesis procedures of efficient amorphous heteroatom coupling interfaces is important for the improvement of electrocatalyst performance. Herein, the Co/Ni NWs/NF composite electrode was prepared using magnetic effect, where Ni nanowires were initially grown on Ni foam to increase its specific surface area, followed by the electrodeposition of amorphous cobalt nanosheets to form multiple active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The electrochemical results show that the prepared Co/Ni NWs/NF can deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 49 mV in 1 M KOH electrolyte. The physical test results demonstrate that the introduction of cobalt species onto Ni nanowire result in the interface coupling effect, which can efficiently increase the HER active surface sites and modify the interface charge distribution. The study provides new approach for design and preparation of highly active hydrogen evolution catalysts for water electrolysis.