Electron density modulation of NiCo2S4 nanowires by nitrogen incorporation for highly efficient hydrogen evolution catalysis

作者：Yishang Wu, Xiaojing Liu, Dongdong Han, Xianyin Song, Lei Shi, Yao Song, Shuwen Niu, Yufang Xie, Jinyan Cai, Shaoyang Wu, Jian Li Kang, Jianbin Zhou, Zhiyan Chen, Xusheng Zheng, Xiangheng Xiao, Gongming Wang · 发表于：Nature Communications · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1038/s41467-018-03858-w · 被引用次数：479 · 研究领域：Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion、Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques、Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films

Abstract Metal sulfides for hydrogen evolution catalysis typically suffer from unfavorable hydrogen desorption properties due to the strong interaction between the adsorbed H and the intensely electronegative sulfur. Here, we demonstrate a general strategy to improve the hydrogen evolution catalysis of metal sulfides by modulating the surface electron densities. The N modulated NiCo2S4 nanowire arrays exhibit an overpotential of 41 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 37 mV dec−1, which are very close to the performance of the benchmark Pt/C in alkaline condition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory studies consistently confirm the surface electron densities of NiCo2S4 have been effectively manipulated by N doping. The capability to modulate the electron densities of the catalytic sites could provide valuable insights for the rational design of highly efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution and beyond.