Enhancing carbon activity in C@hcp-NiPt/NF electrocatalyst for pH-universal hydrogen evolution

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Optimizing carbon materials for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for clean energy.
• Charge redistribution via metal core geometry or carbon defects can enhance HER activity.
• Synergistic effects of these strategies are expected to yield superior results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel carbon material with enhanced HER activity.
• To investigate the synergistic effect of geometric regulation and defect engineering on carbon materials.
• To fabricate a defect-rich carbon shell encapsulated NiPt alloy on Ni foam (C@hcp-NiPt/NF).

Main Methods:

• Facile low-temperature methane plasma strategy for material synthesis.
• Characterization using Raman spectroscopy and in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).
• Theoretical calculations to validate experimental findings.

Main Results:

• Fabrication of C@hcp-NiPt/NF with highly dispersive NiPt alloy cores and defect-rich carbon shells.
• Achieved low overpotentials (60 mV at 100 mA cm⁻² in KOH and H₂SO₄) for HER.
• Demonstrated exceptional stability in alkaline, neutral, and acidic media.

Conclusions:

• The combined strategy of carbon defects and NiPt core geometric regulation significantly boosts charge density on the carbon shell.
• Optimized binding affinity for H₂O and hydrogen intermediates leads to improved HER performance.
• The developed C@hcp-NiPt/NF is a promising electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen production.