One-step hydrothermal synthesis of nanowire-like W/Mo-Ni3S2/NF electrocatalysts for highly efficient hydrogen evolution reactions.

The design of nanostructures and the adjustment of components are very important to improve the performance of hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts. In this paper, Ni, W and Mo trimetallic catalysts are studied from the aspects of morphology, structure and electronic transfer, and a better combination of hydrogen reaction efficiency is obtained. The W/Mo co-doped nickel sulfide electrocatalyst was synthesized on Ni foam by one-step hydrothermal method. As anticipated, the individual incorporation of either tungsten (W) or molybdenum (Mo) into the electrocatalyst did not yield satisfactory enhancements in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. However, when both W and Mo were co-doped onto the electrocatalyst, a significant improvement in catalyst material performance was observed. Hence, the coexistence of W and Mo is the key to improve HER electrocatalytic activity. In 1 M KOH solution, the W/Mo-Ni 3 S 2 /NF electrocatalyst exhibited exceptional HER activity with an overpotential of only 136 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 and demonstrated excellent cycle stability exceeding 20 hours. In this paper, the strategy of bimental co-doping composite is adopted to adjust the structure of nickel sulfide, which provides reference value for the design of reasonable and efficient HER electrocatalyst. • Due to the combined action of tungsten and molybdenum elements, the electrocatalyst forms a unique nanowire structure. • The combined action of bimetallic elements results in an electrode material with superhydrophilic and aerophobic properties. • The nanowire structure provides greater roughness to the surface of the electrode material, increasing the exposed active sites, thereby improving the overall performance of the electrocatalyst and maintaining better stability in long-term testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]