The efficient generation of hydrogen through the electro-splitting of water has triggered great attention. However, low-cost and efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction is still a major challenge. Herein, for the first time, nanocrystalline Ni_0.85Se is synthesized through a facile DMF-solvothermal reaction. Compared to hydrothermally synthesized Ni_0.85Se (H-Ni_0.85Se) with relatively poor HER performance, the DMF-solvothermally synthesized Ni_0.85Se (D-Ni_0.85Se) exhibits much better electrocatalytic performance. D-Ni_0.85Se exhibits a very low onset overpotential (∼−170 mV in 0.5 M H₂SO₄), a very small Tafel slope (49.3 mV dec⁻¹), a high cathode current density (30 mA cm⁻² at ∼−275 mV vs RHE), and excellent long-term stability. It is promising for D-Ni_0.85Se as a novel and highly efficient non-noble-metal electrocatalyst to replace precious Pt-based catalysts for hydrogen evolution.

通过水的电分解有效产生氢引起了极大的关注。然而，用于氢释放反应的低成本和高效的电催化剂仍然是主要的挑战。在此，首次通过简便的DMF-溶剂热反应合成了纳米晶的Ni _0.85 Se。与具有相对较差的HER性能的水热合成Ni _0.85 Se（H-Ni _0.85 Se）相比，DMF溶剂热合成Ni _0.85 Se（D-Ni _0.85 Se）具有更好的电催化性能。D-Ni _0.85 Se表现出非常低的起始过电位（在0.5 MH ₂ SO ₄中为〜-170 mV），非常小的Tafel斜率（49.3 mV dec ^-1），较高的阴极电流密度（相对于RHE，在〜-275 mV时为30 mA cm ^-2）和出色的长期稳定性。D-Ni _0.85 Se作为一种新型且高效的非贵金属电催化剂，有望取代宝贵的基于Pt的氢析出催化剂。