The critical need for efficient, stable non-noble metal water-splitting electrocatalysts drives the design of a novel hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst. The catalyst was synthesized through a sol–gel method followed by pyrolysis and controlled oxidation processes, resulting in nickel/nickel oxide nanoparticles embedded within a nitrogen-doped carbon nanoframework (Ni/NiO-NC). The catalytic activity of HER in acidic and alkaline media was optimized compared to that of catalysts containing only a single active ingredient. Notably, it has an overpotential of 120.3 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm –2 in acidic solution. This enhanced performance is attributed to the advantages of layered carbon nanoframeworks, moderate nitrogen doping, unique embedded nanoparticle structures, and strong electronic interactions at heterogeneous interfaces. This finding provides a new strategy for the design and production of efficient transition metal-based electrocatalysts.
Liu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.