Interface engineering of Ni5P2 nanoparticles and a mesoporous PtRu film heterostructure on Ni foam for enhanced hydrogen evolution

Engineering of multicomponent heterostructures can yield exceptional functionalities and enhance electrocatalytic activities by a synergistic effect. Herein, Ni5P2 nanoparticle-decorated mesoporous PtRu film on Ni foam (Ni5P2-mPtRu/NF) has been synthesized via a facile two-step strategy. Ni5P2-mPtRu/NF possesses a well-developed continuous mesoporous structure and strong electronic interaction between Ni5P2 and PtRu, exhibiting an enhanced electrocatalytic performance towards an alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Ni5P2-mPtRu/NF achieves a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at an overpotential of 28.8 mV and a low Tafel slope of 56.5 mV dec(-1), and has excellent durability. This work provides a promising pathway for developing self-supported mesoporous multicomponent heterostructures as efficient electrocatalysts for an alkaline HER.