N and V Coincorporated Ni Nanosheets for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Searching for earth-abundant and efficient electrocatalysts for large-scale hydrogen generation from the electrolysis of water is of paramount importance. Incorporating nonmetal or metal elements into host catalysts is a possible way to tune the catalytic capability of an electrocatalyst on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a simple and facile way was presented to synthesize N and V coincorporated Ni nanosheets on self-supported conductive carbon paper (NV-Ni/CP) as noble-metal-free catalysts for the HER Compared with Ni/CP, the NV-Ni/CP shows better HER property with low overpotential of 95 mV (10 mA cm(-2)), small Tafel slope (140 mV dec(-1)), and superior long-term stability. We further show that the outstanding HER performance of NV-Ni/CP is ascribed to the increased active sites and enhanced conductivity. It is expected that the coincorporation of nonmetal and metal elements will provide more chances to enhance the HER catalytic ability and extend the scope of cost-effective electrocatalysts.