Nickel selenide supported on nickel foam as an efficient and durable non-precious electrocatalyst for the alkaline water electrolysis

Herein, we describe an in-situ hybridization of Nickel Selenide (Ni₃Se₂) with a Nickel Foam (NF) current collector as an efficient, ultra-durable electrode for the continuous alkaline water electrolysis. Earth abundant, cost effective, non-precious self-made Ni₃Se₂/NF electrode delivers an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential value of 315 mV at a current density of 100 mA cm⁻² (versus a reversible hydrogen electrode) in aqueous electrolyte of 1 M KOH. On a static current density of 100 mA cm⁻², Ni₃Se₂/NF electrode shows a good OER stability over 285 h with very small potential loss of 5.5% in alkaline electrolyte. Accordingly, the alkaline water electrolyzer constructed with Ni₃Se₂/NF (anode) and NiCo₂S₄/NF (cathode), it requires 1.58 V to deliver 10 mA cm⁻² current density, with 500 h continuous operation in 1 M KOH. In addition, we demonstrate that the light-driven water splitting using solar panel, it can be a promising approach to facilitate true independence from electricity in H₂ fuel economy. Overall, this methodology is one of the appropriate energy efficient ways to reduce the cost of water splitting devices, as it may simplify the diverse process and equipment.