2D siloxene supported NiO/Co3O4 electrocatalyst for the stable and efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

The activity of NiO/Co3O4 for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during water splitting was increased by depositing these metal oxides on siloxene multi-sheets. The improvement in active sites due to siloxene was used to increase the catalytic activity. The hierarchical structure of the composite with the synergistic effect of metal oxides helped enhance the catalytic activity to show a low overpotential of 110 mV at 10 mA/cm2 in 1 M KOH and stability at 10 mA/cm2 over 20 h without an obvious change in voltage. The as-prepared catalyst can be a promising electrocatalyst for the HER owing to the low cost of transition metal oxides, the abundance of silicon on Earth, and the simplicity of the synthesis process.

Automated summary

Depositing NiO/Co3O4 on siloxene multi-sheets increased the activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during water splitting. The hierarchical structure of the composite and synergistic effect of metal oxides enhanced the catalytic activity, exhibiting a low overpotential and stability in 1 M KOH. The as-prepared catalyst shows promise as an electrocatalyst for HER due to the low cost of transition metal oxides, abundance of silicon on Earth, and simplicity of the synthesis process.