Ni3S2 particle–embedded nanotubes as a high-performance electrocatalyst for overall water splitting
Pengcheng Zhu,
Li Ye,
Xiaolei Li,
Tianxing Wang,
Yao Zhong,
Lin Zhuang
Affiliations
Pengcheng Zhu
School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Photovoltaics Technologies, Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Li Ye
School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Photovoltaics Technologies, Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Xiaolei Li
Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, 240 South 40th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Tianxing Wang
School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Photovoltaics Technologies, Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Yao Zhong
School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Photovoltaics Technologies, Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Lin Zhuang
School of Physics, State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Photovoltaics Technologies, Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) and oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) are crucial for renewable energy production. Developing stable, cost-effective, and highly catalytic HER and OER electrocatalysts is paramount. In this study, a combination of hydrothermal synthesis and annealing was used to fabricate nickel sulfide (Ni3S2) particle–embedded nanotubes supported on nickel (Ni) foam (Ni3S2 PN/NF). The Ni3S2 PN/NF structures featured a highly branched morphology with a large specific surface area, surpassing that of conventional Ni metal nanotubes. This design increased the number of reactive sites and enhanced the charge-transfer process. The Ni foam substrate expanded the contact area of Ni3S2, thereby improving conductivity and facilitating the adsorption/desorption of intermediates on the Ni3S2 surface. Density functional theory calculations showed that the electronic structure of Ni3S2 provides excellent conductivity. Moreover, the multi-branched structure and inherent conductivity of the NiS nanomaterials enhanced the Ni3S2 PN/NF performance in 1M KOH, with overpotentials of 87 and 210 mV with iR compensation at 10 mA cm−2 for the HER and OER, respectively. The synthesized Ni3S2 PN/NF also exhibited robust durability for 20 h. These results demonstrate that Ni3S2 PN/NF is an excellent catalyst for both HER and OER.
