Photo-enhanced electrocatalysis of sea-urchin shaped Ni3(VO4)2 for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Bin Chang, Gang Zhao, Yongliang Shao, Lei Zhang, Baibiao Huang, Yongzhong Wu*, Xiaopeng Hao

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are central to the development of renewable energy. In this study, a photoresponse electrocatalyst Ni3(VO4)2 with a sea-urchin shaped structure was prepared by a facile solvothermal procedure. Numerous thin nanoflakes on the spherical surface increased active sites which play a promoting role in the photocatalytic or electrocatalytic reactions. Under visible light irradiation, the sea-urchin shaped Ni3(VO4)2 demonstrated improved HER activity without using any cocatalysts, featured by a small overpotential of -90 mV at 10 mA cm-2, a high current density, a small Tafel slope of 50 mV per decade and good stability in 0.5 M H2SO4. The results may offer a simple and mild methodology for the preparation of HER electrocatalysts exhibiting excellent photo-enhanced electrocatalytic activity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)18038-18043
Number of pages6
JournalJOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
Volume5
Issue number34
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Contract No. 51572153 and 51402171), the Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University and Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • General Materials Science

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