Enhanced alkaline/seawater hydrogen evolution reaction performance of NiSe2 by ruthenium and tungsten bimetal doping

The exploration of high-efficiency and stable electrocatalysts for alkaline and seawater hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is the key to realize energy conversion, but there is still a significant challenge owing to the slow HER kinetics in alkaline and seawater systems. In this study, we prepared nickel foamed-supported Ru, W co-doped NiSe2 (Ru, W–NiSe2/NF) by a brief two-step hydrothermal strategy and the prepared Ru, W–NiSe2/NF displays exceptional HER property, requiring only a low overpotential of 100 and 353 mV to reach 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH and natural seawater, respectively, far superior to Ru–NiSe2/NF, W–NiSe2/NF and NiSe2/NF. Electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) verify the abundant active sites and superior electron transfer rate of Ru, W–NiSe2, which optimized the HER kinetics in alkaline solution and natural seawater. The ECSA normalization and TOF results indicated that Ru, W co-doping increased the intrinsic activity of NiSe2. This study revealed the impact of bimetallic doping on the intrinsic activity of NiSe2, and provided a practical strategy for designing and developing the HER electrocatalysts with excellent performance.