Activating Nickel-tungsten alloy for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution via interface engineering

Abstract The design of unprecious metal catalysts that exhibit both high-performance and durstability presents a significant challenge for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Non-precious metal-based 5NiWAg 10 -NiW@CF catalyst with efficient HER catalytic activity was developed and synthesized based on interfacial engineering modulation. The experimental results show that the heterogeneous interface not only promotes the exposure of the active site, but also accelerates the transfer of electrons. The 5NiWAg 10 -NiW@CF catalyst presents high HER electrocatalytic activity, achieving an overpotential of 118 mV at a current density of 0.01 A cm −2 . Particularly, the favorable kinetics of 5NiWAg 10 -NiW@CF towards the HER in alkaline atmosphere was evidenced by its Tafel slope as low as 103 mV dec −1 . This work offers a new perspective for the interfacial engineering optimization of catalysts.