Mo-doped one-dimensional needle-like $\mathrm{Ni}_{3} \mathrm{~S}_{2}$ as bifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution and overall-water-splitting

Abstract

Hydrogen energy plays an important role in clean energy system and is considered the core energy source for future technological development owing to its lightweight nature, high calorific value, and clean combustion products. The electrocatalytic conversion of water into hydrogen is considered a highly promising method. An electrocatalyst is indispensable in the electrocatalytic process, and finding an efficient electrocatalyst is essential. However, the current commercial electrocatalysts (such as Pt/C and Ru) are expensive; therefore, there is a need to find an inexpensive and efficient electrocatalyst with high stability, corrosion resistance, and high electrocatalytic efficiency. In this study, we developed a cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalyst by incorporating molybdenum into nickel sulfide (Ni₃S₂) and subsequently tailoring its structure to achieve a one-dimensional (1D) needle-like configuration. The hydrogen production efficiency of nickel sulfide was improved by changing the ratio of Mo doping. By analyzing the electrochemical performance of different Mo-doped catalysts, we found that the Ni₃S₂-Mo-0.1 electrocatalyst exhibited the best electrocatalytic effect in 1 M KOH; at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², it exhibited overpotentials of 120 and 279 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively; at a higher current density of 100 mA cm⁻², the HER and OER overpotentials were 396 and 495 mV, respectively. Furthermore, this electrocatalyst can be used in a two-electrode water-splitting system. Finally, we thoroughly investigated the mechanism of the overall water splitting of this electrocatalyst, providing valuable insights for future hydrogen production via overall-water-splitting.

Keywords

Hydrogen evolution reaction / Molybdenum doped / Nickel sulfide / Overall water splitting / Needle-like multistage structure

Declaration of Competing Interest

We declare that we do not have any commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the work submitted.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Junjie Huang: Data curation, Writing - original draft. Yupeng Xing: Data curation, Writing - original draft. Jinzhao Huang: Resources. Fei Li: Resources. Gang Zhao: Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - original draft, Writing review & editing. Xingmin Yu: Methodology. Binxun Li: Project administration. Xinran Zhang: Project administration.

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51802177) and the Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U22A20140) and State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, China. All authors contributed to the preparation, characterization, and analysis of the structures and performance of the materials. All the authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.

Supplementary materials

Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.chphma.2023.11.001.

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