Electrodeposited Nickel–Cobalt–Sulfide Catalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

A novel Ni–Co–S-based material prepared by the potentiodynamic deposition from an aqueous solution containing Ni2+, Co2+, and thiourea is studied as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in a neutral phosphate solution. The composition of the catalyst and the HER activity are tuned by varying the ratio of the concentrations of Ni2+ and Co2+ ions in the electrolytes. Under optimized deposition conditions, the bimetallic Ni–Co–S exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity than its monometallic counterparts. The Ni–Co–S catalyst requires an overpotential of 150 mV for the HER onset, and 10 mA cm–2 current density is obtained at 280 mV overpotential. The catalyst exhibits two different Tafel slopes (93 and 70 mV dec–1) indicating two dissimilar mechanisms. It is proposed that the catalyst comprises two types of catalytic active sites, and they contribute selectively toward HER in different potential regions.