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Research Article

In-situ growth of Ni nanoparticle-encapsulated N-doped carbon nanotubes on carbon nanorods for efficient hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis

Xiaoxiao Yan1,2, Minyi Gu2, Yao Wang2, Lin Xu2( ), Yawen Tang2, Renbing Wu1( )
Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Power Batteries, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Biomedical Functional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Abstract

Searching for inexpensive, efficient and durable electrocatalysts with earth-abundant elements toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of vital importance for the future sustainable hydrogen economy, yet still remains a formidable challenge. Herein, a facile template-engaged strategy is demonstrated for the direct in-situ growth of Ni nanoparticles and N-doped carbon nanotubes on carbon nanorod substrates, forming a hierarchically branched architecture (abbreviated as Ni@N-C NT/NRs hereafter). The elaborate construction of such unique hierarchical structure with tightly encapsulated Ni nanoparticles and open configuration endows the as-fabricated Ni@N-C NT/NRs with abundant well-dispersed active sites, enlarged surface area, reduced resistances of charge transfer and mass diffusion, and reinforced mechanical robustness. As a consequence, the optimal Ni@N-C NT/NR catalyst demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity with relatively low overpotential of 134 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA·cm-2 and excellent stability for HER in 0.1 M KOH, holding a great promise for practical scalable H2 production. More importantly, this work offers a reliable methodology for feasible fabrication of robust high-performance carbon-based hierarchical architectures for a variety of electrochemical applications.

Keywords

hydrogen evolution reactionnitrogen-doped carbon nanotubesNi nanoparticlescarbon nanorodshierarchically branched structure

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Nano Research
Volume 13 Issue 4,
April 2020
Pages 975-982
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-020-2727-7
Cite this article:
Yan X, Gu M, Wang Y, et al. In-situ growth of Ni nanoparticle-encapsulated N-doped carbon nanotubes on carbon nanorods for efficient hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis. Nano Research, 2020, 13(4): 975-982. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-2727-7
Topics:
Carbon nanotubesCatalyst activityCharge transferDoping (additives)Electrocatalysis ElectrocatalystsHydrogen economyHydrogen productionNanoparticlesNanorodsNickelPotassium hydroxide

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Received: 28 November 2019
Revised: 12 February 2020
Accepted: 21 February 2020
Published: 14 March 2020
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
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