High surface area coatings for hydrogen evolution cathodes prepared by magnetron sputtering

•High surface area coatings were deposited by a magnetron sputtering technique.•The high surface area coatings show excellent adhesion and uniformity.•The coatings of Ni and Pt give a roughness factor of ∼240.•NiMo coating is excellent catalyst for H2 evolution approaching overpotential for Pt.•A water electrolyser cell voltage of 2.1 V is achieved with NiMo coating at 1 A cm−2.

A novel magnetron sputtering technique is described for the deposition of durable, high surface area metal and alloy deposits (thickness up to several microns) onto nickel and steel substrates. The materials deposited include platinum, nickel, nickel alloys and steels. The structure of the deposits is characterised and it is demonstrated that some high surface area coatings are efficient and effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution in alkaline media and coated mesh electrodes have been tested in a modern water electrolyser configuration.