Ni-Foam-Graphene-CNTs-SnSeP—An Efficient Electrocatalyst Covering Universal pH Range and Tap Water Splitting for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

A day-by-day boost in the hunger of people for renewable energy has to be addressed where green fuel generation via water splitting is a game changer to fossil fuels. The development of rationally designed cost-effective noble-metal free electrocatalyst with high efficiency, and long-term stability has been vigorously pursued. Herein, we report a super- hydrophilic bi-ligand metal phosphide (SnSeP) on the surface of a highly porous Nickel foam-graphene-carbon nanotubes matrix via the facile thermal Chemical Vapour deposition method. The newly developed electrocatalyst renders superior electrocatalytic performance with long-term stability for a minimum of 10 days at a high current density of 250 mA/cm² in each acidic, basic and neutral medium, inferring the commercialization of the catalyst toward industrial-grade application. The excellent electrocatalytic performance is analyzed in terms of low overpotential of 45 mV, 85 mV, and 135 mV at 10 mA/cm² in acidic, basic, and neutral media respectively. Moreover, the as-designed catalyst has shown a noteworthy performance in the smart utilization of tap water in hydrogen fuel production. This work highlights a new insight in adopting a feasible strategy to develop a cost-effective robust electrocatalyst that is capable enough for the facile usage of tap water that could be an attractive paradigm of green fuel synthesis via renewable electrochemical energy conversion.