| Abstract: | Modulate the electronic structure and surface energy by nanostructure and heteroatom doping is an efficient strategy to improve electrocatalytic activity of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER). Herein, nickel incorporated WP_2 self-supporting nanosheet arrays cathode was synthesized on carbon cloth(Ni-WP_2 NS/CC) by in-situ phosphating reduction of the Ni-doped WO_3. It shows that heteroatom doping and the three-dimensional(3D) nanosheet arrays morphology both facilitate to reduce the interfacial transfer resistance and increase electrochemical-active surface areas, which effectively improve electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) activity. The optimized catalyst, 1% Ni-WP_2 NS/CC, exhibits an outstanding electrocatalytic performance with an overpotential of 110 m V at 10 m A cm~(-2) and a Tafel slope of 65 m V dec~(-1) in the acid solution. DFT calculations further demonstrate the nickel doping can adjust the intrinsic structure of electronics, lower the Gibbs free energy of adsorption of hydrogen(DGH*), and effectively improve the HER performance. |
