Poly(3,4-dinitrothiophene)/SWCNT composite as a low overpotential hydrogen evolution metal-free catalyst

A novel metal-free hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst made of poly(3,4-dinitrothiophene)/SWCNT was developed. This catalyst presents a good hydrogen evolution reaction activity with a lower overpotential than metallic catalysts. Its performance was optimized to an overpotential of ca. 0.040 V and a hydrogen generation rate of 44.2 μmol h−1 cm−2.