Electrodeposited porous spherical Ni(OH)2@Ni on carbon paper for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution

Exploring noble-free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution by electrolysis of water is significant. Herein, porous Ni(OH)2@Ni spherical particles are electrodeposited on carbon papers as efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water. Due to the porous and composite structure, the HER activity of Ni(OH)2@Ni/CP is better than the single phase Ni or Ni(OH)2 particles on the carbon paper. The overpotential of Ni(OH)2@Ni/CP is 106 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 and the Tafel slope is 88 mV dec−1. Moreover, the stability of the catalysts tested for 12 h is also good for HER. Furthermore, the small Rct (1.65 Ω) of Ni(OH)2@Ni/CP provides the evident for its excellent catalytic performance. The method of electrodeposition provides the controllable uniform size for porous spherical Ni(OH)2@Ni particles. Moreover, the Faradaic efficiency for hydrogen evolution is 100%.