Nickel‐Coated Copper Foam Electrocatalytic Electrode for Energy‐Saving Hydrogen Evolution and Value‐Added Chemical Cogeneration

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Developing cost‐effective, eco‐friendly electrocatalysts is essential for enhanced water electrolysis. The efficient, affordable, and earth‐abundant electrocatalysts like 3D copper foam (CuF) provide ideal porous structures for rapid ion transport during water electrolysis. In this study, a bimetallic foam architecture (CuF@Ni) is fabricated by electrodeposition of Ni on CuF. This structure acts as both conductive support and active catalyst during the water electrolysis process. The synthesized CuF@Ni demonstrated superior hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity with an overpotential of 0.18 V at 50 mA cm −2 , while the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) overpotential exhibits 0.14 V at 50 mA cm −2 current density. CuF@Ni electrocatalytic electrode achieved a Faradaic efficiency ≈100% during 150 C charge transfer. In a co‐generation system, the onset potential is observed as lower 0.4 V, and CuF@Ni required only 0.92 V to sustain the current density of 50 mA cm −2 , demonstrating significant energy savings. Furthermore, this device consumes less power than theoretical water electrolysis under higher current density. The electrochemical stability of 100 h and 120 h achieved for HER and MOR, respectively, confirmed minimal degradation under the harsh conditions. This study highlights CuF@Ni as a promising dual‐functional electrocatalyst for efficient energy conversion and future renewable energy applications.