General synthesis of Pt and Ni co-doped porous carbon nanofibers to boost HER performance in both acidic and alkaline solutions

It is essential to develop efficient electrocatalysts to generate hydrogen from water electrolysis for hydrogen economy. In this work, platinum (Pt) and nickel (Ni) co-doped porous carbon nanofibers (Pt/NiPCNFs) with low Pt content were prepared via an electrospinning, carbonization and galvanic replacement reaction. Because of the high electrical conductivity, abundant electrochemical active sites and synergistic effect between Pt and Ni nanoparticles, the optimized Pt/Ni-PCNFs catalyst shows an excellent HER activity with overpotentials of 20 mV in 0.5 mol/L H 2 SO 4 and 46 mV in 1 mol/L KOH at a current density of 10 mA/cm 2 . Furthermore, over 35-h long-term stability has been achieved without significant attenuation. This work provides a simple route to prepare highly efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting and has great prospects in the field of renewable energy. (c) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

Efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation from water electrolysis, Pt/NiPCNFs, were prepared via a simple route of electrospinning, carbonization, and galvanic replacement reaction. The Pt/Ni-PCNFs catalyst exhibited excellent HER activity with low overpotentials in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes and demonstrated long-term stability. This work has significant prospects in the field of renewable energy.