Heterostructured Palladium–Nickel Sulfide on Plasma-Activated Nickel Foil for Robust Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

Transition-metal sulfides are among the effective electrocatalyst candidates for H 2 evolution (HER); however, they still cannot compete with Pt-based electrodes for renewable energy applications. To overcome this issue, grid-matched palladium−nickel sulfides (Pd 4 S/Ni 3 S 2 ) are successfully engineered on the holey surface of nickel foil (HNF), which is first treated with a non-thermal plasma (HPNF) generated by a dielectric barrier discharge. The synthesized heterogeneous Pd 4 S-Ni 3 S 2 /HPNF catalyst results in the electron redistribution on the phase interfaces, enhancing the desorption ability of H* species. Consequently, Pd 4 S-Ni 3 S 2 /HPNF presents a high HER activity, and the overpotentials for generating 10 (j 10 ) and 500 (j 500 ) mA/cm 2 are about 44 and 247 mV. Meanwhile, the catalyst retains good electrocatalytic stability over 50 h at j 100 . In addition, the H 2 amount of Pd 4 S-Ni 3 S 2 /HPNF driven by the current j 10 can reach 11.25 mmol/h, which is competitive with other presently available high-performance electrocatalysts. The theory and in situ Raman spectroscopy results indicate that Pd 4 S and the heterointerfaces between the Pd 4 S and Ni 3 S 2 phases are the main active catalytic sites for H 2 evolution and that the Pd weakens the S−H ads bonds, enhancing the reactive kinetics of the Volmer and Heyrovsky steps. This work provides a new and green approach for engineering highly active and stable electrocatalysts for clean hydrogen production.

Si regulation of hydrogen adsorption on nanoporous PdSi hybrids towards enhancing electrochemical hydrogen evolution activity

“…Light atom (defined here as being within the third-row elements) doping can improve the HER activity of Pd-based catalysts. These light atoms include H, 3,10,47,48 N, 42,49,50 S, 22,50–52 B 53,54 and P, 55 among others. These light atoms doped into the lattice of Pd can induce a lattice strain of Pd, thus promoting the hydrogen adsorption and desorption strength at the reactive sites of Pd.…”

Advanced Nonplatinum Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Prepared by Low‐Temperature Plasma Technology

“…[11] In addition, the overuse of fossil fuels would lead to environmental issues like global warming, air pollution, and depletion of the ozone layer. [12][13][14][15] Due to the emerging problems, scientists have focused on the research of renewable energy batteries to replace fossil fuels and provide power for vehicles in recent years, like fuel cells (FCs) and metal-air batteries (MABs). [4,7,[16][17][18][19][20] As a critical cathode reaction in FCs and MABs, ORR has lately received a lot of attention.…”

“…[50] Those plasma technology conducted at room temperature is green and energy saving, and the operation process is fast, easy, and low cost. [12,13,[51][52][53][54] Plasma technology has been extensively applied in a variety of fields. As shown in Figure 1, plasma technology has great prospects in the synthesis and modification of electrocatalytic materials.…”

“…As shown in Figure 1, plasma technology has great prospects in the synthesis and modification of electrocatalytic materials. [12,13,15,34,52,[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61] Plasma can help with the formation of gas-or liquid-derived precursors of ions, atoms, molecules, or radicals to facilitate electrocatalyst materials synthesis and can also conduct material modifications such as etching, doping, or other surface treatments. [62,63] The electrocatalytic reactions usually occur on the surface of the catalysts, and plasma-induced structural changes on the surface of the catalysts can thus significantly boost the electrocatalyst's catalytic activity.…”

“…[ 50 ] Those plasma technology conducted at room temperature is green and energy saving, and the operation process is fast, easy, and low cost. [ 12,13,51–54 ]…”