ABSTRACT To develop high‐performance electrodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water electrolysis, this study successfully fabricated a ternary Ni 0 . 8 Co 0 . 2 Se 2 /NM catalyst with a nanosheet‐like structure on nickel mesh via an optimized one‐step electrodeposition method, through the regulation of the Ni/Co molar ratio and the introduction of Se doping. Systematic characterization and electrochemical tests elucidated the structure–performance relationship between the HER activity and the microstructural/process parameters. The optimized Ni 0 . 8 Co 0 . 2 Se 2 /NM electrode exhibits excellent HER activity and stability in alkaline media. The doping of Se modulates the electronic structure of the Ni/Co active sites and optimizes the hydrogen adsorption free energy, thereby significantly enhancing the intrinsic catalytic activity. At a current density of 300 mA cm −2 , the HER overpotential is as low as 207 mV, which is considerably lower than that of the Raney Ni electrode under the same conditions (ca. 296 mV). In an alkaline overall water splitting test, the electrode required a cell voltage of only 1.70 V to deliver 100 mA cm −2 and demonstrated negligible performance decay during a 200 h durability test at 500 mA cm −2 , highlighting its promising long‐term operational stability under industrially relevant conditions.
Zhang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.