Laser-Engineered Cobalt-deposited Ni Foam Electrocatalyst for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

The development of low-cost, high-performance electrocatalysts is critical for enabling sustainable hydrogen production via water electrolysis. Herein, we present a rapid, scalable, and energy-efficient strategy for fabricating highly active hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrodes by combining solvothermal deposition with subsequent laser processing on nickel foam (NF). The laser treatment induces an in situ transformation of the deposited cobalt precursor into catalytically active cobalt phases under ambient conditions, eliminating the need for conventional high-temperature thermal processing. The resulting Co-modified NF exhibits a substantially enlarged electrochemically active surface area and a high density of readily accessible active sites compared with pristine NF. Consequently, the electrode delivers markedly enhanced HER activity, requiring an overpotential of only 242 mVRHE to achieve a current density of 50 mA cm−2 , compared with 351 mVRHE for bare NF. The catalyst also demonstrates excellent electrochemical durability during prolonged operation. The enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of laser-induced surface reconstruction, increased exposure of catalytically active sites, and accelerated charge-transfer kinetics. These findings establish laser-assisted processing as a rapid, scalable, and versatile route for the fabrication of low-cost, high-performance electrocatalysts for efficient hydrogen production.