High-performance vanadium-nickel thin-film electrocatalysts by using magnetron co-sputtering toward the hydrogen evolution reaction

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-8484.2026.03.006

Abstract

Abstract:

A highly active non-precious metal vanadium-nickel (VNi) thin-film electrocatalyst was developed for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with scalable preparation to meet the demand for the low-cost, high-performance non-precious metal catalysts for large-scale water electrolysis for hydrogen production. NiV thin film catalysts of different atomic ratios were prepared by using sing magnetron co-sputtering technology, on self-supported carbon paper electrodes with regulating the doping level when the Ni target directional current power was set to 120 W. The results show that the NiV25 sample catalyst (with the V target radiation frequency power of 25 W) exhibits an overpotential as low as 42.3 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media, corresponding to a current density of 10 mA/cm² with having a Tafel slope of 125.17 mV with outstanding stability; notably, the NiV50 sample catalyst (with the V target radiation frequency power of 50 W) can operate continuously for 100 h at the current density of 10 mA/cm².

Key words: water electrolysis for hydrogen production, non-precious metal catalyst, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), doping, magnetron co-sputtering

CLC Number:

TQ426.82

ZHANG Han, CHEN Zuochao, FANG Jiongchong, YANG Fuyuan, ZENG Guosong. High-performance vanadium-nickel thin-film electrocatalysts by using magnetron co-sputtering toward the hydrogen evolution reaction[J]. Journal of Automotive Safety and Energy, 2026, 17(3): 342-350.

Figures/Tables 9

References 25

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样品代码	P_VS / W	2θ / (°)	d(111) / pm	FWHM / (°)	D / nm	Ni-V原子比/ %
纯Ni	0	44.44	203.67	0.770	11.02	-
NiV10	10	44.42	203.76	0.766	11.08	99.5∶0.5
NiV25	25	44.40	203.85	0.771	11.01	97.9∶2.1
NiV50	50	44.38	203.97	0.781	10.86	91.4∶8.6
NiV100	100	44.01	205.56	0.919	9.22	77.0∶23.0
NiV150	150	43.09	206.05	0.923	9.15	72.7∶27.3

样品代码	P_VS / W	2θ / (°)	d(111) / pm	FWHM / (°)	D / nm	Ni-V原子比/ %
纯Ni	0	44.44	203.67	0.770	11.02	-
NiV10	10	44.42	203.76	0.766	11.08	99.5∶0.5
NiV25	25	44.40	203.85	0.771	11.01	97.9∶2.1
NiV50	50	44.38	203.97	0.781	10.86	91.4∶8.6
NiV100	100	44.01	205.56	0.919	9.22	77.0∶23.0
NiV150	150	43.09	206.05	0.923	9.15	72.7∶27.3

样本代码	E₁₀/ mV	Tafel斜率/ mV
纯Ni	51.72	157.24
NiV10	47.40	160.58
NiV25	42.30	125.17
NiV50	72.10	208.07
NiV100	79.60	182.24
NiV150	96.30	171.03

样本代码	E₁₀/ mV	Tafel斜率/ mV
纯Ni	51.72	157.24
NiV10	47.40	160.58
NiV25	42.30	125.17
NiV50	72.10	208.07
NiV100	79.60	182.24
NiV150	96.30	171.03