Vanadium-doped Nickel-Cobalt Phosphides/Sulfides/Selenides for efficient and stable alkaline hydrogen evolution

Exploring low-cost and high-efficient electrocatalysts to accelerate the sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted increasing research interest. The incorporation of nonmetallic elements (such as P, S, Se) into double hydroxides exhibits great potential to achieve high activity, increased stability, and reduced cost. In this study, a series of vanadium-doped cobalt–nickel sulfide/phosphide/selenide (CoNiV-X, X  = P, S, Se) electrocatalysts were synthesized via a hydrothermal method and low-temperature phosphating, vulcanization, or selenization processes. These self-supported catalysts exhibited excellent HER performances and remarkable stability over a period of 96 h in the alkaline media (1.0 M KOH). Specifically, the optimized CoNiV-P electrocatalyst demonstrated a low overpotential (η 10  = 39 mV). The density functional theory studies revealed the crucial role of Co sites in the electron transfer process, contributing to the excellent performance of CoNiV-P electrocatalysts. This work proposes the electrocatalysts which may hold great potential for hydrogen production as a clean and sustainable alternative to polluting and finite fossil fuels.