The Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Performance of Manganese Carbonate in an Acidic Medium

Hydrogen, a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, can be efficiently produced by electrochemical water splitting, which involves hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the cathode and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode. Both HER and OER require electrocatalysts. The large scale implementation of this technology depends heavily on the development of highly active, stable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts. In view of this, several electrocatalysts have been explored. Herein, the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance of MnCO3 synthesized by hydrothermal method is reported. While MnCO3 is chosen as the electrocatalyst owing to cost-effect and abundant precursors, environmental friendliness, and good electrochemical activity, the hydrothermal method is chosen for its simplicity, efficiency, and scalability. The micron size MnCO3 synthesized hydrothermally exhibits eta 10 of 143 mV, a Tafel slope of 72 mV dec-1 and retains its performance over 3000 cycles and 14 h of continuous operation in 0.5 M H2SO4, demonstrating its utility in sustainable hydrogen production.