Formation of a thin-layer of nickel hydroxide on nickel phosphide nanopillars for hydrogen evolution

A thin-layer of Ni(OH)2 was in situ formed on the surface of Ni2P nanopillars (Ni(OH)2@Ni2P/E-NF) via a facile hydrothermal treatment in H2O. Ni(OH)2@Ni2P/E-NF exhibits superior activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction with an overpotential of only 43 mV to achieve 10 mA cm−2 and a good durability during the long-term operation in an alkaline medium. The excellent performance of Ni(OH)2@Ni2P/E-NF is likely ascribed to the strong interfacial coupling of Ni(OH)2 and Ni2P, which promotes the dissociation of water and concomitantly converts hydrogen intermediates (Had) to H2. Keywords: Nickel hydroxide, Nickel phosphide, Etching, Hydrogen evolution reaction