Rational design of ultrahigh porosity Co foam supported flower-like FeNiP-LDH electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction

The development of high-efficiency, stable and low-cost electrocatalysts is a matter of cardinal significance for large-scale electrolytic hydrogen production from water. In this study, we report a hierarchical electrocatalyst of flower-like FeNiP-LDH (FeNiP on layered double hydroxide) loaded on ultrahigh porosity Co foam (CF). The structure/component superiorities and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of this electrode were examined in detail. In alkaline solution, the resulting FeNiP-LDH/CF yields a current density of 10 mA/cm(2) at an overpotential of - 39 mV, which is superior than most documented transition metal phosphides electrocatalysts and even Pt catalyst (similar to -53 mV). In particular, this electrode with an undamaged microstructure can maintain its HER activity over 16 h at high current density of 500-600 mA/cm(2). Such remarkable HER performance originates from the satisfactory porous nature of Co foam as well as the special surface structure and electronic properties of phosphide/hydroxide. This work not only offers a viable modular approach for the synthesis of high-performance HER electrocatalysts, but also allows an in-depth understanding of structure-activity relationships of multistage 3D materials for energy and catalysis application.

Automated summary

In this study, a hierarchical electrocatalyst was developed for efficient hydrogen production from water. The electrocatalyst exhibited superior performance compared to most documented transition metal phosphides electrocatalysts and even Pt catalyst. The remarkable performance was attributed to the porous nature of the substrate and the special surface structure and electronic properties of the electrocatalyst.