Foam-like Electroplated Ni-W/graphene Oxide Composite Coating with High Porous Surface: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

In this research, the morphology of the Ni-W coating was modified by adding graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets in such a way that a foam-like structure with high porosity and holes in the form of intertwined tunnels was obtained. Different amounts of GO nanosheets were added to the plating bath and the resulting coating was examined. In order to estimate the electrochemically active surface area, the cyclic voltammetry (CV) test was used. Moreover, the linear polarization test (LSV) and chronoamperometry in 1 M NaOH were conducted to investigate the electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). It was found that by adding 0.4 g/L GO to the electroplating bath, the electrocatalytic properties are doubled and the active surface of the electrode is significantly increased.