Facile Synthesis of Microsphere-like Co0.85Se Structures on Nickel Foam for a Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

John Anthuvan Rajesh; Jae-Young Kim; Soon-Hyung Kang; Kwang-Soon Ahn

doi:10.3390/mi14101905

Facile Synthesis of Microsphere-like Co_0.85Se Structures on Nickel Foam for a Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Micromachines (Basel). 2023 Oct 5;14(10):1905. doi: 10.3390/mi14101905.

Authors

John Anthuvan Rajesh¹, Jae-Young Kim¹, Soon-Hyung Kang², Kwang-Soon Ahn¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Chemistry Education, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Microsphere-shaped cobalt selenide (Co_0.85Se) structures were efficiently synthesized via a two-step hydrothermal process. Initially, cobalt hydroxide fluoride (Co(OH)F) microcrystals were prepared using a hydrothermal method. Subsequently, Co_0.85Se microsphere-like structures were obtained through selenization. Compared to Co(OH)F, the microsphere-like Co_0.85Se structure exhibited outstanding catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in a 1.0 M KOH solution. Electrocatalytic experiments demonstrated an exceptional HER performance by the Co_0.85Se microspheres, characterized by a low overpotential of 148 mV and a Tafel slope of 55.7 mV dec^-1. Furthermore, the Co_0.85Se electrocatalyst displayed remarkable long-term stability, maintaining its activity for over 24 h. This remarkable performance is attributed to the excellent electrical conductivity of selenides and the highly electroactive sites present in the Co_0.85Se structure compared to Co(OH)F, emphasizing its promise for advanced electrocatalytic applications.

Keywords: Co0.85Se; electrocatalytic activity; hydrogen evolution reaction; hydrothermal; selenization.

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (grant number 2018R1D1A3B05042787). This study was also supported by the “Human Resources Program in Energy Technology” of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) and granted financial resources from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, Republic of Korea (No. 20204010600100).