Additively Manufactured Micro-/Multi-Scale Porous Copper: Enhanced Mass Transport for High-Performance Hydrogen Evolution

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is pivotal for green hydrogen production, yet its kinetics are often limited by mass transport constraints. To address this, we fabricated a hierarchically porous copper substrate via additive manufacturing and electrodeposited a nickel layer to create the [email protected] electrode. This electrode exhibits outstanding HER performance, requiring an overpotential of only 123 mV to achieve 10 mA cm^-2 and demonstrating excellent stability over 50 h. Characterization reveals superaerophobicity (gas contact angle ≈ 180°) and superhydrophilicity (liquid contact angle ≈ 0°), which synergistically facilitate rapid bubble release and efficient electrolyte replenishment. The multiporous architecture is identified as the key factor enabling superior mass transport and performance. This work provides a novel design paradigm for high-performance electrodes in gas-evolving electrocatalysis.