Rational Design and Controlled Synthesis of V-Doped Ni3S2/NixPy Heterostructured Nanosheets for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Rational construction of high-efficiency and low-cost catalysts is one of the most promising ways to produce hydrogen but remains a huge challenge. Herein, interface engineering and heteroatom doping were used to synthesize V-doped sulfide/phosphide heterostructures on nickel foam (V-Ni3S2/NixPy/NF) by phosphating treatment at low temperature. The incorporation of V can adjust the electronic structure of Ni3S2, expose more active sites, and protect the 3D structure of Ni foam from damage. Meanwhile, the heterogeneous interface formed between Ni3S2 and NixPy can provide abundant active sites and accelerate electron transfer. As a result, the V-Ni3S2/NixPy/NF nanosheet catalyst exhibits outstanding activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with an extremely low overpotential of 90 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) and stable durability in alkaline solution, which exceeds those most of the previously reported Ni-based materials. This work shows that rational design by interfacial engineering and metal-atom incorporation has a significant influence for efficient hydrogen evolution.