Rapid preparation of high efficiency hydrogen evolution catalyst with hydrophilicity.

The electrolytic water method is an outstanding hydrogen production process because of its high stability and no restriction. A low-priced and efficient catalyst for electro-deposition of Ni-Co microspheres and nanoclusters on carbon steel (Ni-Co/CS) has been prepared by the dynamic hydrogen bubble template. In the 6 M KOH solution, Ni-Co/CS only requires an overpotential of 48 mV to provide a current density of 50 mA cm. At the same time, it also has a large electrochemically active specific surface area (ECSA) and a hydrophilic surface. In addition, the study about the influence of carbon steel (CS) on Ni-Co coatings and the comparison experiment for different base materials has been completed. The results prove that CS is an excellent base material for hydrogen production. It can help the Ni-Co catalyst to have a stable electrolysis in 6 M KOH for 500 h. The above properties of Ni-Co/CS catalyst make it a new choice of hydrogen production by electrolysis of water in practical applications.