Powder sintered Ni–P/CNTs composites as three-dimensional self-supported efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Nickel phosphide can become a new generation of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) non-precious catalyst due to the low price and abundant source. In this work, we reported the preparation of three-dimensional self-supported Ni–P/CNTs composite electrodes which adopted porous nickel powder and red phosphorus decorated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes by powder sintering. The phase, microstructure, and electrocatalytic performance of Ni–P/CNTs composite electrodes were systematically studied. The HER activity of Ni–P/CNTs composite electrodes could be affected by adjusting the molar ratio of Ni:P precursor. When the molar ratio of Ni:P was 1:1, the NiP-3 composite electrode has a better HER performance in acidic electrolyte than in alkaline electrolyte. This work indicates that the phase and micromorphology of the composite electrodes can be optimized by adjusting the Ni:P precursor molar ratio so that boosting the electrocatalytic HER performance.