Vertical Graphene-Supported NiMo Nanoparticles as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction under Alkaline Conditions

Water electrolysis as an important and facile strategy to generate hydrogen has attracted great attention, and efficient electrocatalysts play a key role in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, vertical graphene (VG)-supported ultrafine NiMo alloy nanoparticles (NiMo@VG@CC) were fabricated successfully via electro-depositing as efficient self-supported electrocatalysts for HER. The introduction of metal Mo optimized the catalytic activity of transition metal Ni. In addition, VG arrays as the three-dimensional (3D) conductive scaffold not only ensured high electron conductivity and robust structural stability, but also endowed the self-supported electrode large specific surface area and exposed more active sites. With the synergistic effect between NiMo alloys and VG, the optimized NiMo@VG@CC electrode exhibited a low overpotential of 70.95 mV at 10 mA cm−2and a remarkable stable performance over 24 h. This research is anticipated to offer a powerful strategy for the fabrication of high-performance hydrogen evolution catalysts.Keywords:vertical graphene;NiMo alloy;high surface area;hydrogen evolution reaction;electrodeposition