In-Situ Synthesis of Co-N Supported on Nickel Foam for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Designing and exploring efficient and stable non-noble catalyst by nanostructure modification and doping of heteroatoms for water splitting is of critical importance for sustainable resource. Herein, amorphous Co-N nitrides nanosheet on the three-dimensional nickel foam (denoted as Co-N/NF 250) is successfully synthesized by the combined with electrodeposition and high temperature nitriding process. The fascinating structural characteristic endows Co-N/NF 250 electrodes better electrochemical performance and only needs low overpotential of 252.1 mV to obtain high current density of 100 mA cm(-2) towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The excellent performance can be attributed to the nitrogen doping changes the electron environment and adsorption energy of hydrogen around cobalt. The impressive results provide a new simple and green route to produce advanced electrode materials for HER.