Pentlandite rocks as sustainable and stable efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation

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 (Fe(4.5)Ni(4.5)S(8)) as a direct ‘rock' electrode material for hydrogen evolution under acidic conditions with an overpotential of 280 mV at 10 mA cm(−2). 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(−2)) 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.