CuGeO3 micro-nanomaterial as Electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract Novel broom-like copper germanate (CuGeO3) micro-nanomaterials were synthesized by a facile one-step hydrothermal method with ethylenediamine (En) acting as structure-directing reagent. In acidic electrolyte, the broom-like CuGeO3 micro-nanomaterials have a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) overpotential of 135 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 98 mV dec−1 and good stability over 80 h. The improved activity in HER could be attributed to the more active sites for the unique broom-like morphology of CuGeO3.