NiCu alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes for highly efficient acidic hydrogen evolution reaction

The use of low-cost non-precious metals to replace platinum as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) holds great potential, but their efficiency and stability still face challenges. Here, we report a nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (NCNT) supported NiCu-x (x = 0.5, 1, 2) electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under acidic conditions. By optimizing the atomic molar ratio of Ni/Cu alloy nanoparticles, the optimal NiCu-1 catalyst was obtained, featuring a thin carbon shell and uniformly distributed alloy nanoparticles, and exhibiting outstanding HER activity. The NiCu-1 catalyst requires only 42 mV overpotential to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm 2 . Its high…

• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province

  Award: 242300420569
• SA
  Science and Technology Department of Henan Province
• SA
  Science and Technology Innovation Talents in Universities of Henan Province

  Awards: 232102321043, 252102320110