Thickness-dependent hydrogen evolution performance of 0.18Ag-Ag0.80Ni0.2NNi3 antiperovskite thin film prepared by chemical solution deposition

Antiperovskite metal nitrides as a special type of transition metal nitrides are considered as potential candidates for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts, showing flexible composition modulation. Here, the thin film thickness dependent HER properties were investigated for new type antiperovskite 0.18Ag-Ag 0.80 Ni 0.20 NNi 3 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition. It was observed that with the thin film thickness increasing, the thin film porosity was first enhanced and then decreased. The HER overpotential in alkaline media showed thickness dependent tendency and the lowest potential was for the thin film with thickness about 1 μm. The results will shed light on optimization of HER performance of antiperovskite metal nitrides and provide a feasible route to optimize the HER performance of thin film-type HER catalysts prepared by chemical solution deposition (CSD). Antiperovskite-based 0.18Ag-Ag 0.80 Ni 0.20 NNi 3 thin films with different thickness were prepared by chemical solution deposition and the hydrogen evolution reaction performance were investigated. The work provides a route to optimize hydrogen evolution reaction performance of thin film-type catalysts prepared by chemical solution deposition.