Heterostructure WC/Ni/Cu nanorod array towards ultra-long hydrogen evolution durability at room temperature and industrial conditions

Magnetron sputtering technology is employed to deposit WC layer with an amorphous/crystalline interface on a Ni/Cu/CF submicron rod array, and the constructed catalyst can be operated for over 10,000h for HER. [Display omitted] •Multi-stage tandem heterostructures are successfully constructed.•Magnetron sputtering makes scalable fabrication possible.•Amorphous/crystal interface optimizes electro-structure to enhance activity.•Involvement of Ni layer allows the ultra-long durability of over 10,200 h.•Ultralow cell voltage indicates industrial application perspectives. The creation of catalysts with rational structures is impressive for the achievement of highly efficient H2 production. Nevertheless, the design of electrocatalysts with high reaction activity and long-term durability presents a significant challenge. This study details the fabrication of a unique multilayer tandem catalyst, constructed with an amorphous-crystalline (A-C) heterostructure A-C-WC/Ni/Cu submicron rod array, which was supported on copper foam through a low-cost in-situ growth/electrodeposition/magnetron sputtering approach. The hierarchical A-C-WC/Ni/Cu demonstrates a low overpotential of 105 mV for the hydrogen evolution at a current density of 100 mA cm−2, and it even endures for over 10,000 h at an industrial current density of 500 mA cm−2 in a 1 M KOH solution. This indicates a significant potential in an anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer. Theoretical calculations confirm the optimized adsorption energies and fast water-splitting kinetics. Additionally, the cell that was assembled with NiCoSx-0.4 yielded low cell voltages of 1.563 and 1.595 V while achieving high current densities of 1000 and 2000 mA cm−2 under industrial conditions (6 M KOH, 65 °C). The engineering of multiple heterostructure strategies presents a promising route towards the large-scale generation of hydrogen.