Hydrogen produced via water electrolysis has emerged as a subject of considerable interest due to its potential as a clean and renewable energy carrier. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are the core processes; however, their sluggish kinetics and reliance on noble metal catalysts hinder efficiency and large-scale application. The development of highly efficient, durable, inexpensive, and scalable electrocatalysts, such as transition metal alloys, remains a significant challenge and a current research priority. To address this challenge, a simple electroless plating technique was employed for the fabrication of CoFe, CoFeMn, and CoFeMo coatings on nickel foam, using morpholine borane as the reducing agent. The surface morphology, structural features, and elemental composition of the coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The CoFe, CoFeMn, and CoFeMo coatings were compact, crack-free, and exhibited typical globular morphology. The electrocatalytic activity toward HER and OER was evaluated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) in 1 M KOH.

Electrochemical evaluations revealed that CoFeMn and CoFeMo achieved overpotentials of 135.8 and 149.6 mV for HER at 20 mA cm^-2, respectively, which are significantly lower than the 243.9 mV observed for CoFe. This enhancement in electrocatalytic activity can be attributed to the increased surface area and greater exposure of active sites in the CoFeMn and CoFeMo catalysts, which facilitate hydrogen evolution. Furthermore, CoFe exhibited superior OER activity, reaching 40 mA cm^-2 at 331.7 mV, while CoFeMo and CoFeMn required 368.4 and 385.1 mV, respectively. This superior performance is likely attributable to the favorable surface morphology and composition of CoFe, which promote oxygen evolution kinetics. Overall, this study presents a novel and cost-effective approach for the development of efficient electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production via water splitting.