Fe2O3 and Co bimetallic decorated nitrogen doped graphene nanomaterial for effective electrochemical water split hydrogen evolution reaction

The synthesis and development of catalyst with efficient electrocatalytic activity and long-term operation stability was a critical of hydrogen production for water splitting, however it is still a challenging step. Herein, a series of different proportion bimetallic uploaded nitrogen-doped graphene materials (Fe 2 O 3 -Co NPs-N-GR) were successfully synthesized through a simple, green and cost-effective method for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). All of the materials we used were earth-abundant and inexpensive. In this work, employing the interaction between DA and metal ions , Co 2+ and iron (II) phthalocyanine (FePC) were loaded on the graphene oxide (GO). Moreover, the doping of N, reduction of GO and forming of Fe 2 O 3 NPs, Co NPs were realized by one-step calcination method. Among the series of catalysts we synthesized, Fe 2 O 3(1) -Co (1) NPs-N-GR exhibits better HER performance than other catalysts that we synthesized. Fe 2 O 3(1) -Co (1) NPs-N-GR exhibits significant catalytic activity and excellent durability for HER in a wide pH range. The electrocatalytic performance of Fe 2 O 3(1) -Co (1) NPs-N-GR toward HER is better in acidic solution (0.5 M H 2 SO 4 ) than in alkaline solution (1.0 M NaOH), the onset overpotential is 0.36 V, Tafel slope is 66 mV dec −1 and current densities of 10 mA cm −2 at overpotential is 0.39 V. The excellent HER catalytic performance of Fe 2 O 3(1) -Co (1) NPs-N-GR stem from its unique composition and structural properties by combining Fe 2 O 3 -Co nanoparticles and N co-doped graphene. This work provides a new valuable idea for the design of highly active bimetallic N-doped graphene electrocatalyst for HER.