Pumpkin shell-derived activated carbon-supported S-incorporated transition metal oxide electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

In the pursuit of a more sustainable future and to combat the environmental impact of fossil fuels, green hydrogen production through water electrolysis is gaining traction. While noble metals currently dominate electrocatalyst design, their expense limits widespread adoption. This study proposes a solution by outlining a method for designing efficient and affordable electrocatalysts based on non-precious metals. Herein, we introduce a novel S-incorporated Ni2O3 2 O 3 supported on biowaste-derived activated carbon (S-Ni2O3@AC) 2 O 3 @AC) synthesized from pumpkin shells. This facile and sustainable approach utilizes readily available resources. The S-Ni2O3@AC 2 O 3 @AC nanocomposite demonstrates excellent HER performance with low overpotential and high durability. This is attributed to a high surface area of the composite, fast charge transfer, optimal hydrogen adsorption, and lowered energy barrier for water dissociation facilitated by sulfur incorporation, which is demonstrated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This research paves the way for cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts.