Abstract
The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in renewable energy systems has long been a fascinating process, but designing highly efficient and ultrastable electrocatalysts is challenging. Transition metal-based heterostructure nanohybrids are currently drawing more interest in the field of electrolysis because nanohybids can optimize kinetic processes while simultaneously lowering charge transfer resistance and increasing the electrochemically active electrode's surface area at the reaction interface. Here, we propose a concept for a two-step colloidal hot injection electrocatalyst based on NiSe/ReSe2 nanocomposites that is extremely effective for hydrogen evolution under acidic conditions. The as-obtained nanocomposite material worked efficiently, attaining a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at a substantially lower over-potential of 120 mV vs RHE as compared to each of the individual components i.e. NiSe nanoparticles and ReSe2 nanosheets. As single component catalysts, ReSe2 nanosheets and NiSe nanoparticles, however, achieved current densities of 10 mA cm(-2) at higher overpotentials of 172 mV and 221 mV, respectively. Even more intriguingly, the NiS/ReSe2 nanocomposite is believed to give a faster kinetic process for HER, as evidenced by a Tafel slope of 115 mV dec(-1), which certainly is lower than that of the 179 mV dec(-1) and 190 mV dec(-1) for pure NiSe and ReSe2, respectively. NiSe nanocrystallites and ReSe2 nanosheets were assumed to be working in a synergistic manner to generate the electronic structural modification that led to the noticeably increased electrocatalytic properties. In order to make highly tuned electrocatalysts in solids, we anticipate that the fabrication of hybrid structures will be a successful strategy. (C) 2022 The Electrochemical Society ("ECS"). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited.