Hydrothermal synthesis of NiSe2 nanosheets on carbon cloths for photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation

Two-dimensional NiSe 2 nanosheets arrange on three-dimensional carbon cloths (CC) have been synthesized through a facile two-step hydrothermal process. The as-prepared NiSe 2 /CC photoelectrode demonstrates outstanding photoelectrochamical (PEC) performance. Subsequently, a series of characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra are carried out and confirm a well crystalline NiSe 2 /CC. Additional morphological and microstructural tests depict large-scale NiSe 2 nanosheets are uniformly aligned on the basement of conductive carbon cloth. The PEC measurements show the steady photocurrent density can be effectively raised from 10 to 600 μA/cm 2 when bias potential increases from 0 to 0.5 V, which is proposed to be attributed to the adequate exposure of active sites and reduction of surface contact resistance provided by carbon cloth. The structure and performances of hydrothermal synthesized NiSe 2 /CC suggest promising applications in the field of PEC hydrogen production.