Synthesis of hollow Cu/Cu2O/Cu2S nanotubes for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Cu/Cu 2 O/Cu 2 S nanotubes (NT) with rough-surfaces and hollow heterostructure structures have been synthesized by sulfurizing the as-prepared Cu/Cu 2 O nanowires (NWs). The Cu/Cu 2 O/Cu 2 S NT electrode exhibits excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance with low onset overpotential of 48 mV and a Tafel slope of 107 mV dec −1 in acidic solution. Furthermore, the overpotentials are only ~86 and ~214 mV to achieve current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm −2 . The impressive catalytic performance of Cu/Cu 2 O/Cu 2 S NT toward HER can be attributed to the unique rough-surfaces, hollow structure, and the synergistic effect between multiple atoms and ions.