Electronic Coupling in Fe3C/Ni3ZnC0.7 Heterostructures Supported on Carbon Nanotube for Enhanced Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution

The development of high-efficiency and low-cost catalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for promoting the industrial water electrolysis for hydrogen production. In this work, a novel Fe3C/Ni3ZnC0.7 heterostructured nanoparticle supported on carbon nanotube is synthesized by a two-step sintering method. It is found that the density of electron state of Ni sites in Ni3ZnC0.7 is optimized and the electrical conductivity of material is greatly enhanced by the interfacial electron coupling between Fe3C and Ni3ZnC0.7. In addition, the abundant interfacial active sites of Fe3C/Ni3ZnC0.7 are exposed due to the support effect of carbon nanotubes. The prepared Fe3C/Ni3ZnC0.7 material shows excellent HER performance, delivering a low overpotential of 187 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and retains continuous operation for at least 200 h in alkaline environment. This work provides a new perspective for the design of high-performance electrocatalysts for water electrolysis.