Abstract
Catalysts have been a bottleneck in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)—a half reaction of
water splitting. Hitherto, the most efficient HER catalyst in terms of catalytic capacity remains to
be platinum group metals, especially platinum; however, rare metals' exorbitant cost and
scarcity inhibit their further application in industry, which therefore call for catalysts
prepared from earth-abundant elements. Herein, we introduce nickel phosphide nano-spheres
(NPNs) bearing excellent HER activity. Prepared via a facile, inexpensive, and
eco-friendly preparation procedure, the as-synthesized NPNs have perfect over-potential to
reach −100 mA/cm2 (η100), with η100 reaching 251 mV in
0.5 M H2SO4. A series of durability tests, including cyclic
voltammetry and chronoamperometry, also indicate NPNs' favorable stability in both acidic
and alkaline conditions. After taking into account a string of factors, including NPNs'
mass density, handy preparation process, superior catalytic activity, and
favorable durability, the NPNs bear probable potentiality of taking traditional noble
metals' place as the HER catalyst and are worth studying further.
At the request of the Editors-in-Chief and AIP Publishing this article is being retracted. The article had a high degree of overlap with an article published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. The article is retracted from the scientific record effective 30 June 2017.