Metal-organic framework-derived Ni doped Co3S4 hierarchical nanosheets as a monolithic electrocatalyst for highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline solution

Abstract Hierarchical nanostructure construction and electronic structure engineering are commonly employed to increase the electrocatalytic activity of HER electrocatalysts. Herein, Ni doped Co3S4 hierarchical nanosheets on Ti mesh (Ni doped Co3S4 HNS/TM) were successfully prepared by using metal organic framework (MOF) as precursor which was synthesized under ambient condition. Characterization results confirmed this structure and Ni incorporation into Co3S4 lattice as well as the modified electronic structure of Co3S4 by Ni doping. Alkaline HER performance showed that Ni doped Co3S4 HNS/TM presented outstanding HER activity with 173 mV overpotential at -10 mA·cm-2, surpassing most of metal sulfide-based electrocatalysts. The hierarchical structure, superior electrical conductivity and electronic structure modulation contributed to the accelerated water dissociation and enhanced intrinsic activity. This work provides a new avenue for synthesizing hierarchical nanostructure and simultaneously tuning the electronic structure to promote HER performance, which has potential application in designing highly efficient and cost-effective HER nanostructured electrocatalyst.