Enhancing the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Performance of Solution-Corroded NiMo via Plasma Modification

In pursuit of efficient water-splitting technologies, the development of high-performing electrocatalysts is crucial, particularly for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In addition, it is paramount to adopt cost-effective approaches that leverage earth-abundant metals, together with scalable synthesis methods. In this study, we introduce a synthesis approach that combines a facile solution corrosion technique with plasma modification, thereby enhancing the hydrogen evolution activity of NiMo alloys. The inclusion of NH3 plasma modification plays a dual role by concurrently reducing and nitriding as-synthesized NiMo hydroxide. The treatment results in a significant reduction in the HER overpotential to 95 mV at 10 mA/cm2 compared to its initial overpotential. This improvement is attributed to enhanced kinetics due to substantial reductions in charge transfer resistance and an increased double-layer capacitance. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrates excellent stability of close to 120 h, thereby highlighting the potential of this synthesis method for large-area synthesis of HER electrocatalysts.