Electrodeposition of Nickel–Molybdenum–Phosphide on copper foam electrode for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

In the quest for efficient and cost-effective catalysts to drive the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrochemical water splitting, copper foam (CuF) is a favorable candidate for electrode coating. Precious metal catalysts like Pt/C dominate the field but must be improved because of their high cost and scarcity. Therefore, we have synthesized and evaluated a sequence of nickel-originated electrocatalysts (Ni, NiMo, NiP, and NiMoP) with the electrodeposition of CuF to facilitate substantial improvements in HER performance. Herein, the Ni–Mo–P ternary system, owing to its desirable electronic structure and catalytic mechanism, contributes to enhancing the thermodynamics and kinetics of the HER. Performance analysis reveals that all studied catalysts follow the order of Ni/CuF > NiMo/CuF > NiP/CuF > NiMoP/CuF regarding both the Tafel slope and overpotential. Hence, the top performer, NiMoP/CuF, exhibits tremendous thermodynamics with an η 10 = 159 mV and Tafel slope kinetics of 126.66 mV·dec⁻ 1 at 1.0 M KOH in water splitting. Overall, this report presents a well-capable way of optimizing the electrocatalytic function and stability of CuF-electro-coated catalysts for the HER. This research opens new avenues for cost-effective, stable, and efficient HER catalysts, showcasing the potential of NiMoP/CuF in advancing sustainable hydrogen production technologies. Investigation of Cu foam (CuF) as an electrode coating for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrochemical water splitting. Synthesis and evaluation of nickel-based electrocatalysts (Ni, NiMo, NiP, and NiMoP) with CuF show NiMoP/CuF as the best performer, with an overpotential of 159 mV and a Tafel slope of 126.66 mV·dec⁻ 1 at 1.0 M KOH. NiMoP/CuF demonstrates potential as a cost-effective and efficient HER catalyst for sustainable hydrogen production. • NiMoP/CuF catalyst outperforms others, with low overpotential of 159 mV at 10 mA cm⁻ 2 . • Synthesized Ni–Mo–P electro layer on CuF shows exceptional Tafel slope of 126.66 mV dec⁻ 1 . • Electrodeposition of NiMoP on CuF facilitates significant improvements in HER performance. • Mixed transition metal phosphides exhibit remarkable HER activity in alkaline environments. • Potential of NiMoP/CuF catalyst in advancing sustainable hydrogen production.