Spark plasma sintered catalytic nickel–copper alloy and carbon nanotube electrodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

We report the proof-of-concept of spark plasma sintered (SPS) consolidated mesoporous composite catalytic electrodes based on nickel–copper alloys and carbon nanotubes for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media. The optimized electrode (203 m² g⁻¹, 5 wt% Ni₇₅Cu₂₅) operated at −0.1 A cm⁻² (current of −0.15 A) for 24 h with a stable overpotential of about 0.3 V. This newly described freestanding SPS approach allows the rational control of specific surface area, metal loading, and electrocatalytic performance, thus opening a new route to catalytic electrodes with controllable physical and catalytic properties.