Nanocrystalline Ni 0.85 Se as Efficient Non-noble-metal Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Interfacial engineering of nickel selenide with CeO2 on N-doped carbon nanosheets for efficient methanol and urea electro-oxidation

The design of low cost, high efficiency electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reactions (MOR) and urea oxidation reactions (UOR) is a pressing need to address the energy crisis and water pollution. In the present work, we developed Cerium dioxide (CeO2) and nickel selenide (Ni0.85Se) nanoparticles integrated into three-dimensional N-doped carbon nanosheets to be used as efficient and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for MOR and UOR. By optimizing the selenization temperature, the CeO2-modified Ni0.85Se obtained at selenization temperature of 550 °C (CeO2-Ni0.85Se-550-NC) has the best MOR and UOR electrochemical performance. The CeO2-Ni0.85Se-550-NC potential only requires 1.309 V (MOR) and 1.294 V (UOR) to reach 10 mA cm-2, respectively. The DFT study reveals that CeO2-Ni0.85Se-550-NC has the best reaction path with the synergistic effect between CeO2 and Ni0.85Se. The outstanding catalytic performance of CeO2-Ni0.85Se-550-NC may be due to the cointeraction between CeO2 and Ni0.85Se, allowing more defects that function as catalytic sites while promoting fast electron transfer in the N-doped carbon substrate.

Stabilizing Pt Single Atoms through Pt-Se Electron Bridges on Vacancy-enriched Nickel Selenide for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Rational design of Pt single-atom catalysts provides a promising strategy to significantly improve the electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction. In this work, we presented a novel and efficient strategy for utilizing the low electron-density region of substrate to effectively trap and confine high electron-density metal atoms. The Pt single-atom catalyst supported by nickel selenide with rich vacancies was prepared via a hydrothermal-impregnation stepwise approach. Through experimental testation and DFT theoretical calculation, we confirm that Pt single atoms are well distributed at cationic vacancies of nickel selenide with loading amount of 3.2 wt. %. Moreover, the atomic Pt combined with the high electronegative Se to form Pt-Se bond as a "bridge" between single atoms and substrate for fast electron translation. This novel catalyst shows an extremely low overpotential of 45 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and an excellent stability over 120 h. Furthermore, the nickel selenide supported Pt SACs exhibits long-term stability for practical application, which maintains a high current density of 390 mA cm-2 over 80 h with a retention of 99 %. This work points a promising direction for designing single atoms catalysts with high catalytic activity and stability for advanced green energy conversion technologies.

Effects of chemical composition and vacant oxygen defects on the performance of Ni(OH)2–Ni0.85Se heterostructure nanowires as supercapacitor electrodes

The research focus of supercapacitors is the composition and structural design of electrode materials.

Stimulation of ethylene glycol electrooxidation on electrodeposited Ni–PbO2–GN nanocomposite in alkaline medium

In this work, a novel system composed of non-precious nickel-based metal oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (Ni–PbO2–GN) is used for electrooxidation of ethylene glycol (EG) in 1.0 M NaOH solution and compares its activity with that of Ni, Ni–GN, and Ni–PbO2. The facile electrodeposition technique is used to prepare the catalysts on glassy carbon (GC) substrates. The outcomes of electrochemical measurements show a high performance towards EG oxidation is obtained for Ni-nanocomposite electrodes compared to that of Ni mainly due to their higher surface areas. The excellent electrocatalytic properties of the Ni-nanocomposite could be ascribed to the synergistic contributions of PbO2 and graphene (GN) nano-sheets that help the reduction of Ni grains. A smaller charge transfer resistance value of 34.5 Ω cm2 for EG oxidation reaction at + 360 mV is recorded for GC/Ni–PbO2–GN compared to the other prepared electrodes. Moreover, it exhibits higher kinetic parameters of EG such as diffusion coefficient (D = 3.9 × 10–10 cm2 s−1) and charge transfer rate constant (ks = 32.5 mol−1 cm3 s−1). The overall performance and stability of the prepared catalysts towards EG electrooxidation have been estimated to be in the order of GC/Ni–PbO2–GN > GC/Ni–GN > GC/Ni–PbO2 > GC/Ni.

Graphical abstract

Electronic regulation of a core–shell NiSe2 catalyst by Co doping to accelerate hydrogen evolution

A Co-doping core–shell shaped NiSe2 based catalyst (NixCo1−xSe2@NC) exhibits promising electrocatalytic activity for HER with a low overpotential of −143 mV at −10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 37.5 mV dec−1.

Regulation of Morphology and Electrochemical Properties of Ni0.85Se via Fe Doping for Overall Water Splitting and Supercapacitor

The Fe-doped Ni0.85Se nanosheets array on Ni foam was synthesized successfully through one-step solvothermal method as effective binder-free multifunctional catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), overall...

NiSe/Ni3Se2 on nickel foam as an ultra-high-rate HER electrocatalyst: common anion heterostructure with built-in electric field and efficient interfacial charge transfer

One grand challenge in green hydrogen production is to design efficient HER electrocatalysts for high-rate alkaline water electrolysis. Nickel chalcogenide coatings on nickel foam (NF) are promising HER electrocatalysts, but their high-rate performances are yet to be improved. The current work reports a NiSe/Ni₃Se₂@NF for alkaline HER, which requires an overpotential of only 336 mV to achieve an ultra-high current density of 1250 mA cm⁻², outperforming commercial Pt/C. The low onset potential of NiSe/Ni₃Se₂@NF is attributed to its morphology, and high surface area, as well as multiple active sites and electronic structure modulation because of the heterostructure. While these features are well-known within the current knowledge framework, new understandings are proposed on its superior high-rate performance. The common-anion feature offers abundant interfacial Ni–Se bonding and low resistance for efficient interfacial charge transfer, whereas the heterovalent-Ni-cation in the heterostructure results in a built-in electric field that further enhances the high-rate performance. This work provides new insights on both the mechanistic and methodological aspects of designing high-performance electrocatalysts operating at high current densities.

The NiSe/Ni₃Se₂ common anion heterostructure is a superior electrocatalyst for ultra-high-rate HER owing to its built-in electric field and efficient interfacial charge transfer.

A Cr-FeOOH@Ni-P/NF binder-free electrode as an excellent oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst

Refining the size of nanoparticles to exhibit larger specific surface areas and expose much more active sites is of great significance for enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of the electrocatalyst, but still a tremendous challenge. Herein, a Cr-FeOOH@Ni₂P-Ni₅P₄/NF (Cr-FeOOH@Ni-P/NF) catalyst was constructed by electrodepositing a layer of CrFe oxyhydroxides on the self-grown Ni-P nanoparticles, which exhibits ultrafine nanoparticles and thus superexcellent electrocatalytic OER performance. The final catalyst affords ultra-low overpotentials of 144 mV and 210 mV to achieve current densities of 10 and 50 mA cm^-2, respectively. Meanwhile, it demonstrates robust stability for at least 80 hours with no activity decay. This strategy of refining nanoparticles on a three-dimensional electrode has once again been further demonstrated to be feasible and highly effective and opens a new door for the exploration of electrocatalysts with excellent comprehensive properties.

A simple method for the preparation of a nickel selenide and cobalt selenide mixed catalyst to enhance bifunctional oxygen activity for Zn-air batteries

Developing a low-cost, simple, and efficient method to prepare excellent bifunctional electrocatalysts toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical in rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Non-stoichiometric M_0.85Se (M = Ni or Co) nanoparticles are synthesized and modified on nitrogen-doped hollow carbon sphere (NHCS). The NHCS loaded Ni_0.85Se (Ni_0.85Se-NHCS) with rich Ni³⁺ presents higher OER activity, whereas the NHCS-loaded Co_0.85Se (Co_0.85Se-NHCS) with abundant Co²⁺ displays better ORR activity, respectively. When Co_0.85Se-NHCS is mixed with Ni_0.85Se-NHCS in a mass ratio of 1 : 1, the resulting mixture (Ni_0.85Se/Co_0.85Se-NHCS-2) shows better ORR and OER dual catalytic functions than a single selenide. Moreover, zinc-air batteries equipped with Ni_0.85Se/Co_0.85Se-NHCS-2 as the oxygen electrode catalyst exhibit excellent charge and discharge performance as well as improved stability over precious metals. This work has developed a simple and effective method to prepare excellent bifunctional electrocatalysts for ORR and OER, which is beneficial for the practical large-scale application of zinc-air batteries.

The one-pot synthesis of porous Ni0.85Se nanospheres on graphene as an efficient and durable electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

Ni_0.85Se/RGO composite exhibits extraordinary water splitting.

Regulating Phase Conversion from Ni3 Se2 into NiSe in a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Overall Water-Splitting Enhancement

Phase engineering has been demonstrated as an efficient method for the enhancement of catalytic activity. This study concerns the phase and morphology modulation of Ni₃ Se₂ /NiSe nanorod arrays through a hydrothermal process. Partial phase conversion can effectively enhance the electrical conductivity and yield more active sites through atom rearrangement during phase transformation. Quite low optimal overpotentials of 166 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 370 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are obtained in a sample containing 32.4 % of NiSe phase and 67.6 % of Ni₃ Se₂ phase. The performance is superior to the samples with only one phase. Furthermore, a water electrolyzer was assembled by using two symmetrical NiSe/Ni foam electrodes as the anode and cathode, which can deliver 10 mA cm^-2 at a low voltage of 1.61 V. More significantly, the water electrolyzer can be operated at 10 mA cm^-2 over 10 h without noticeable degradation, showing extraordinary operational stability. This phase conversion control strategy provides a new way to improve the catalytic activity of NiSe and may have potential use in the design of other selenide electrocatalysts.

W2C nanodot-decorated CNT networks as a highly efficient and stable electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution in acidic and alkaline media

Although tungsten carbide (W2C) has long been reported as an excellent platinum-like catalyst, it is still a challenge to synthesize W2C as an electrocatalyst for a highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to its high onset overpotential, inevitable aggregation, and lack of a scalable and controllable synthesis method. Herein, we synthesized W2C nanodot-decorated CNT networks (W2C@CNT-S) via a facile and scalable spray drying method followed by a carbonization process. It is demonstrated that this unique nanoarchitecture, constructed by ultrafine W2C nanodots homogeneously decorated on a three-dimensional and conductive CNT skeleton, leads to the exposure of abundant catalytic sites and promotes highly efficient electron transfer and ion diffusion during the HER process. As a result, in acidic and alkaline media, the optimized W2C@CNT-S hybrid exhibited excellent HER performance with very low onset overpotentials of only 60 and 40 mV (vs. RHE) and very small Tafel slopes of 57.4 and 56.2 mV dec-1, and only needed 176 and 148 mV (vs. RHE) to obtain a current density of 10 mA cm-2, respectively; it also showed outstanding long-term durability even after a 30-hour test in both acidic and alkaline media. This study presents an overview of a low-cost and scalable spray-drying strategy to synthesize a high-performance carbide-based electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution.

Novel Cobalt-Doped Ni0.85Se Chalcogenides (Co xNi0.85- xSe) as High Active and Stable Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Electrolysis Water Splitting

In this paper, novel cobalt-doped Ni_0.85Se chalcogenides (Co _xNi_{0.85- x}Se, x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4) are successfully synthesized and studied as high active and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrolysis water splitting. The morphologies, structures, and composition of these as-prepared catalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical tests, such as linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry testing, are performed to evaluate these catalysts' HER catalytic performance including activity and stability. The results indicate that a suitable doping can result in synergetic effect for increasing the catalytic performance. Among different catalysts, Co_0.1Ni_0.75Se shows the highest HER performance. After introducing the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) into this catalyst as the support, the resulted Co_0.1Ni_0.75Se/rGO shows even better performance than unsupported Co_0.1Ni_0.75Se, which are confirmed by the reduction of HER overpotential of Co_0.1Ni_0.75Se/rGO to 103 mV compared to 153 mV of Co_0.1Ni_0.75Se at a current density of 10 mA/cm², and the smaller Tafel slope (43 mV/dec) and kinetic resistance (21.34 Ω) than those of Co_0.1Ni_0.75Se (47 mV/dec, 30.23 Ω). Furthermore, the large electrochemical active surface area and high conductivity of such a Co_0.1Ni_0.75Se/rGO catalyst, induced by rGO introduction, are confirmed to be responsible for the high HER performance.

Coupled Heterostructure of Mo-Fe Selenide Nanosheets Supported on Carbon Paper as an Integrated Electrocatalyst for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) driven by high-performance and low-cost electrocatalysts has been well-identified as one of the most promising technologies to explore sustainable power sources. In this work, the authors demonstrated a series of Fe-Mo selenide composite nanomaterials with adjustable HER catalytic activities by a simple one-step hydrothermal reaction. The heterostructured catalyst exhibited significant enhancement in HER activity compared to the pristine MoSe₂ and FeSe₂ catalysts. It is found that the optimized Mo-Fe selenide can drive the HER at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 by an overpotential of 86.9 mV in acidic solution. Also, it possesses outstanding kinetics (Tafel slope of 57.7 mV dec^-1) of the electrochemical reaction. Besides the synergistic effect of different chemicals, the coupled Mo-Fe selenide achieved the electronic modulation of the heterointerface, where electrons were accelerated to transfer from dispersed FeSe₂ to the active edges on 1T-MoSe₂ and further activated the electrochemical performance.

Controllable Synthesis of Ni xSe (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1) Nanocrystals for Efficient Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries and Water Splitting

The development of earth-abundant, highly active, and corrosion-resistant electrocatalysts to promote the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions (OER/HER) for rechargeable metal-air batteries and water-splitting devices is urgently needed. In this work, Ni _xSe (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1) nanocrystals with different crystal structures and compositions have been controllably synthesized and investigated as potential electrocatalysts for multifunctional ORR, OER, and HER in alkaline conditions. A novel hot-injection process at ambient pressure was developed to control the phase and composition of a series of Ni _xSe by simply adjusting the added molar ratio of the nickel resource to triethylenetetramine. Electrochemical analysis reveals that Ni_0.5Se nanocrystalline exhibits superior OER activity compared to its counterparts and is comparable to RuO₂ in terms of the low overpotential required to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 (330 mV), which may benefit from the pyrite-type crystal structure and Se enrichment in Ni_0.5Se. For the ORR and HER, Ni_0.75Se nanoparticles achieve the best performance including lower overpotentials and larger apparent current densities. Further investigations demonstrate that Ni_0.75Se could not only provide an enhanced electrochemical active area but also facilitate electron transfer during the electrocatalytic process, thus contributing to the remarkable catalytic activity. As a practical application, the Ni_0.75Se electrode enables rechargeable Zn-air battery with a considerable performance including a long cycling lifetime (200 cycles), high specific capacity (609 mA h g^-1 based on the consumed Zn), and low overpotential (0.75 V) at 10 mA cm^-2. Meanwhile, the water-splitting cell setup with an anode of Ni_0.5Se for the HER and a cathode of Ni_0.75Se for the OER exhibits a considerable performance with low decay in activity of 12.9% under continuous polarization for 10 h. These results suggest the promising potential of nickel selenide nanocrystals as earth-abundant and high-performance electrocatalysts for metal-air batteries and alkaline water splitting.

Nanocrystalline Co0.85Se Anchored on Graphene Nanosheets as a Highly Efficient and Stable Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

For the first time, a porous and conductive Co_0.85Se/graphene network (CSGN), constructed by Co_0.85Se nanocrystals being tightly connected with each other and homogeneously anchored on few-layered graphene nanosheets, has been synthesized by a facile one-pot solvothermal method. Compared to unhybridized Co_0.85Se, CSGN exhibits much faster kinetics and better electrocatalytic behavior for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The HER mechanism of CSGN is improved to Volmer-Tafel combination, instead of Volmer-Heyrovsky combination, for Co_0.85Se. CSGN has a very low Tafel slope of 34.4 mV/dec, which is much lower than that of unhybridized Co_0.85Se (41.8 mV/dec) and is the lowest ever reported for Co_0.85Se-based electrocatalysts. CSGN delivers a current density of 55 mA/cm² at 250 mV overpotential, much larger than that of Co_0.85Se (33 mA/cm²). Furthermore, CSGN shows superior electrocatalytic stability even after 1500 cycles. The excellent HER performance of CSGN is attributed to the unique porous and conductive network, which can not only guarantee interconnected conductive paths in the whole electrode but also provide abundant catalytic active sites, thereby facilitating charge transportation between the electrocatalyst and electrolyte. This work provides insight into rational design and low-cost synthesis of nonprecious transition-metal chalcogenide-based electrocatalysts with high efficiency and excellent stability for HER.