Research on the synthesis of transitional metal and post-transitional metal doping eolitic imidazolate framework-based electrocatalysts and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

Hydrogen, as a sustainable and green energy source, has gained significant attention in the context of the global energy crisis. The challenge underlying the hydrogen evolution reaction in electrochemical water splitting is to replace the noble metal-based electrocatalysts with effective low overpotential and kinetically favorable electrocatalysts. This research focused on the synthesis and modification of non-noble metal zeolitic imidazolate framework-based electrocatalysts. Using the heteroatom metal doping to improve electrocatalysts, Ni, Ce, Bi, and In are investigated as possible dopants. Herein, we successfully synthesized electrocatalysts combining CoM nanoalloy (M = Ni/Ce/In/Bi) with N-doped carbon nanostructure, denoted as CoM@NC. Among all synthesized electrocatalysts, CoNi@NC demonstrates to be the best HER electrocatalyst, with the lowest overpotential of 454.5mV at 10 mA cm-2 current density, Tafel slope of 86.3 mV dec-1, and stability for more than 10 hours. The composition and structures of CoNi@NC optimize its electron structure, increase active sites, and improve its onductivity and stability, which makes it a possible effective nonnoble metal HER electrocatalyst. This electrocatalyst provides a possible method to design and synthesize hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts that can replace noble metal-based electrocatalysts.