Regulating hydrogen adsorption via built-in electric field-driven charge transfer at the heterointerface for enhanced alkaline/seawater hydrogen evolution

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2025.03.023

Abstract

Abstract: The pursuit of high-purity, high-energy-density green hydrogen via water electrolysis remains a signif-icant challenge. This work reports the successful synthesis of a novel NiWO4 -Ni2 P heterostructure en-riched with abundant interfacial sites. Leveraging electron transfer from NiWO4 to Ni2 P, the resulting NiWO4 -Ni2 P electrocatalyst exhibits exceptional hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. Com-bined experimental and theoretical studies demonstrate that the built-in electric field (BIEF) at the NiWO4 -Ni2 P interface induces charge redistribution, modulating the d-band center and optimizing hydro-gen adsorption, thus leading to superior HER activity. An assembled NiFe LDH||NiWO4 -Ni2 P electrolyzer achieves a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at only 1.51 V in 1 M KOH. Furthermore, the NiWO4 -Ni2 P electrocatalyst and electrolyzer maintain remarkable electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen produc-tion even in seawater. This study offers a new approach for the rational design and development of high-performance heterogeneous electrocatalysts for hydrogen production from water splitting and other energy conversion applications.

Key words: Built-in electric field, Charge transfer, Heterostructure, Hydrogen evolution

Liang Yan, Zhiyi Yin, Mengmeng Yue,Wenli Yan, Jingjing Deng, Hao Li. Regulating hydrogen adsorption via built-in electric field-driven charge transfer at the heterointerface for enhanced alkaline/seawater hydrogen evolution[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2025, 236: 215-224.

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