The need for sustainable catalysts for an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction is of significant interest for modern society. Inspired by comparable structural properties of [FeNi]-hydrogenase, here we present the natural ore pentlandite (FeNiS) as a direct ‘rock’ electrode material for hydrogen evolution under acidic conditions with an overpotential of 280 mV at 10 mA cm. Furthermore, it reaches a value as low as 190 mV after 96 h of electrolysis due to surface sulfur depletion, which may change the electronic structure of the catalytically active nickel–iron centres. The ‘rock’ material shows an unexpected catalytic activity with comparable overpotential and Tafel slope to some well-developed metallic or nanostructured catalysts. Notably, the ‘rock’ material offers high current densities (≤650 mA cm) without any loss in activity for approximately 170 h. The superior hydrogen evolution performance of pentlandites as ‘rock’ electrode labels this ore as a promising electrocatalyst for future hydrogen-based economy.
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机译：对于有效的氢释放反应，对于可持续催化剂的需求是现代社会的重大兴趣。受[FeNi]氢化酶的可比结构特性的启发，在这里，我们介绍了天然矿石方铁矿（FeNiS）作为在酸性条件下析氢的直接“岩石”电极材料，在10 mA cm时的超电势为280 mV。此外，由于表面硫的耗尽，在电解96 h后，它的值可低至190 mV，这可能会改变具有催化活性的镍铁中心的电子结构。 “岩石”材料表现出出乎意料的催化活性，与某些发达的金属或纳米结构催化剂相比，具有超电势和Tafel斜率。值得注意的是，“岩石”材料可提供高电流密度（≤650mA cm），并且在约170 h的时间内没有任何活动损失。膨润土作为“岩石”电极的优异氢析出性能，使该矿石成为未来氢基经济的有希望的电催化剂。
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