Fabrication of Nifecocup High-Entropy Alloy Electrocatalysts Via Electroless Deposition for Superior Hydrogen Evolution Performance

The advancement of highly efficient electrolytic water catalysts that can diminish the activation energy barrier of the reaction holds the potential to substantially decrease the economic burden of hydrogen production. This study reports the fabrication of NiFeCoCuP high-entropy alloy (NFCCP-HEA) electrocatalysts on nickel foam (NF) substrates via an electroless deposition technique. The abundance of active sites in the high-entropy alloy and the synergistic effect between P and the transition metals (Ni, Fe, Co, Cu), significantly elevates the catalytic performance of the electrocatalyst. At a current density of 10 mA cm-2, the hydrogen evolution overpotential of NFCCP-HEA electrocatalysts in 1.0 M KOH solution is 38.2 mV, with a Tafel slope of 57.2 mV dec-1. The catalyst exhibits exceptional stability, maintaining a constant potential for 48 hours while immersed in a 1.0 M KOH solution. In addition, the NFCCP-HEA electrocatalyst prepared by electroless plating technology opened up new directions for the synthesis of high entropy alloys and demonstrated the unique advantages of the process.