Superior Performances of Electroless-Deposited Ni-P Films Decorated with an Ultralow Content of Pt for Water-Splitting Reactions

The design of highly efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a critical endeavor, especially in alkaline electrolytes. Herein, we report the development of ultralow-amount Pt-decorated Ni-P catalysts on nickel foam substrates (Pt/Ni-P/NF) via a facile electroless deposition of Ni-P alloys subsequently decorated with a very small amount of Pt nanoparticles through a dip-coating procedure. Benefiting from the 3D porous backbone of the NF substrate and from the synergistic effect between Ni-P and Pt, the present Pt/Ni-P/NF catalyst demonstrates superior HER activity compared to most of the state-of-the-art Pt-based electrocatalysts, with a very low overpotential (22 mV at 10 mA cm(-2)) and Tafel slope (30 mV dec(-1)) and a high turnover frequency (1.78 s(-1)) at eta = 50 mV. Furthermore, a full alkaline electrolyzer is constructed using Pt/Ni-P/NF as the cathode and undecorated Ni-P as the anode, which can drive overall water splitting with a low potential of 1.64 V at 10 mA cm(-2). This work engenders novel possibilities toward the design of advanced ultralow-content Pt electrocatalysts fulfilling both excellent HER performance and low-cost requirements.

Automated summary

This study develops Pt/Ni-P/NF catalysts through a facile electroless deposition method on nickel foam substrates, which are subsequently decorated with a small amount of Pt nanoparticles via a dip-coating procedure. The Pt/Ni-P/NF catalyst exhibits superior HER activity, surpassing most state-of-the-art Pt-based electrocatalysts, thanks to the 3D porous backbone of the NF substrate and the synergistic effect between Ni-P and Pt.