Biomolecule-Assisted Synthesis and Electro-Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution of Flowerlike Nickel Sulfide Nanostructures.

Abstract

In this paper, flowerlike nickel sulfide materials are synthesized using a facile solution-phase biomolecule-assisted approach in the presence of L-cysteine (an ordinary and cheap amino acid), which turned out to serve as both the sulfur source and the directing molecule in the formation of nickel sulfide nanostructures. The morphology, structure, and phase composition of the assynthesized nickel sulfide products are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman. Moreover, the nickel sulfide materials are investigated as electro catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in strongly alkaline media. The electro catalytic performance of as-prepared nickel sulfide is promising for applications as non-noble-metal HER catalysts with water splitting for hydrogen production.