Ni₁₇W₃ Nanoparticles Decorated WO₂ Nanohybrid Electrocatalyst for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Herein, Ni17W3 nanoparticles (NPs) decorated WO2 nanohybrid supported by Ni foam (Ni17W3/WO2/NF) is successfully prepared via annealing Ni4W6O21(OH)2·4H2O/NF under reductive atmosphere and applied as hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst. The integration of WO2 and Ni17W3 derived from a single precursor simultaneously facilitates the water dissociation and H intermediates association during HER kinetics, while promotes the corresponding synergistic effect to form numerous exposed active sites scattered over the nanohybrid. Hence, the Ni17W3/WO2/NF behaves with superior HER performance delivering merely 35 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm–2 with a small Tafel slope of 41.6 mV dec–1 and good durability in alkaline medium, which is comparable to that for commercial Pt/C. This work may offer positive inspirations to stimulate the development of NiW-based highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts for various sustainable energy applications.