Zinc ion induced three-dimensional Co9S8 nano-neuron network for efficient hydrogen evolution

As the cost-effective and nontoxic alternative for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), Co 9 S 8 has attracted much attention. This paper explores the regulation of Zn doping impacted the unique nanostructure and electrocatalytic performance on Co 9 S 8 . Herein, utilizing copper foam (CF) as substrate, a series of different nanostructure of (Zn-)Co 9 S 8 @CF has been synthesized by accurately varying the ratio of Zn 2+ to Co 2+ . Compared with aggregated pure Co 9 S 8 and other different ratios contrast samples, Zn–Co 9 S 8 @CF-(1-1) with a zinc to cobalt ratio of 1 possesses highly dispersity which can be attributed to the novel nano-neuron network structure. The electrochemical measurements for HER demonstrate that Zn–Co 9 S 8 @CF-(1-1) not only reveals superior activity with small overpotentials to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm −2 in acidic (278 mV) and alkaline (273 mV) media, but also exhibits long-time durability in the solution with a wide range of pH. The excellent performance of Zn–Co 9 S 8 @CF-(1-1) can be attributed to the unique reticular structure which can facilitate exposure of numerous active sites and favorable long-term stability. The substrate of three-dimensional CF can provide the remarkable conductivity. This work provides a precise and effective approach to regulate three-dimensional nanostructure of Zn-doped electrocatalysts for HER.