Ag-doped Cu nanosheet arrays for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for clean energy production.
• Developing efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts is essential for HER.
• Copper-based materials show promise but often require modification to enhance performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel silver-doped copper nanosheet arrays.
• To investigate the effect of silver doping on the catalytic activity for HER.
• To evaluate the performance of these nanosheets as electrocatalysts in alkaline media.

Main Methods:

• Zinc-infiltration process for preparing silver-doped copper nanosheet arrays.
• Electrochemical characterization using techniques like linear sweep voltammetry.
• Performance evaluation in 1 M KOH electrolyte.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized silver-doped copper nanosheet arrays.
• Silver doping induced tensile stress, altering electronic structure and improving hydrogen adsorption.
• Achieved a low overpotential of 103 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² for HER.
• Demonstrated a significant improvement of 604 mV compared to pure copper foil.

Conclusions:

• Silver doping effectively enhances the electrocatalytic activity of copper nanosheets for HER.
• The observed enhancement is attributed to improved hydrogen atom adsorption.
• These silver-doped copper nanosheets represent a promising low-cost catalyst for hydrogen production.