Enhanced Electrocatalytic Activity of Trace Pt in Ternary CuCoPt Alloy Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Evolution

Electron Regulation of Heterostructured Pt/Rh Metallene Boosts Ethylene Glycol Electrooxidation and Hydrogen Evolution

The research on high-efficiency two-dimensional (2D) catalytic materials for the small-molecule oxidation-assisted hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is prospective for efficient hydrogen production. Herein, we report heterostructured Pt/Rh metallene with Pt nanoparticles (NPs) uniformly anchored on Rh metallene for the HER and ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR). The ultrathin sheet structure of the Pt/Rh metallene offers high surface areas and sufficient active sites. More importantly, the Pt/Rh heterostructure can optimize catalytic active centers and adjust electronic structure. Thus, Pt/Rh metallene exhibits superior electrocatalytic HER activity with a low overpotential of 28 mV in 1 M KOH at 10 mA cm-2 and EGOR activity with a specific activity of 8.39 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH with 3 M EG, along with outstanding CO tolerance. In a two-electrode system, Pt/Rh metallene requires a low potential of 0.51 V for stable and efficient hydrogen production at 10 mA cm-2 in 1 M KOH + 3 M EG, with the simultaneous production of high-value-added products. The job proposes an attractive strategy for the synthesis of 0D/2D metallene toward simultaneous energy-saving hydrogen production and chemical update.

Metal-Organic Framework-Derived 2D Layered Double Hydroxide Ultrathin Nanosheets for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

A facile approach to synthesize Pt-doped metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived layered double hydroxide (LDH), denoted as Pt@CuFe-LDHm, is developed. It consists of highly dispersed 2D nanosheets, and the excellent properties (high...

Hierarchical Co3(PO4)2/CuI/g-CnH2n-2 S-Scheme Heterojunction for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Graphdiyne (GD), a new type of carbon allotrope formed by sp and sp² hybrid carbon atoms, has attracted wide attention due to its high π-conjugation degree, special band structure, and uniformly distributed pores. In traditional synthesis methods, hexaethylbenzene was coupled on the substrate catalytic material (copper foil or foamed copper) to generate graphdiyne. In this work, CuI was used as the substrate catalytic material, and the CuI-GD composite was synthesized by cross-coupling in the pyridine solution of hexaethylbenzene. For the first time, Co₃(PO₄)₂ was modified by the CuI-GD composite material to prepare a Co₃(PO₄)₂/CuI-GD S-scheme heterojunction catalyst, which avoided the complicated process of removing the substrate catalytic material. Under the action of the internal electric field, electrons are induced to move quickly and directionally, and the powerful photogenerated electrons in the conduction band (CB) of GD and the holes in the valence band (VB) of CuI are retained to participate in the photocatalytic reaction. These advantages were combined with the high-energy acetylene bond in GD, which accelerated the catalytic reaction of the Co₃(PO₄)₂/CuI-GD heterostructure. Electrochemical and fluorescence analysis showed that Co₃(PO₄)₂/CuI-GD has faster electron and hole separation efficiency, lower hydrogen evolution overpotential, and higher carrier utilization. Therefore, Co₃(PO₄)₂/CuI-GD exhibited good hydrogen evolution activity. This work shows that GD has broad prospects in designing high-performance photocatalyst systems.

A platinum nanoparticle doped self-assembled peptide bolaamphiphile hydrogel as an efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Noble metal-based nanomaterials have shown great potential for catalytic application with higher selectivity and activity. Owing to their self-assembly properties with various molecular interactions, peptides play an essential role in the controlled synthesis of noble metal-based catalysts with high surface area. In this work, a phenylalanine (F) and tyrosine (Y) based peptide bolaamphiphile is prepared by solution-phase peptide synthesis. The peptide bolaamphiphile readily self-assembles into a hydrogel with a cross-linked nanofibrillar network. The platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) are in situ generated within the cross-linked nanofibrillar network of the hydrogel matrix of the peptide bolaamphiphile. Benefiting from the synergistic properties of the Pt nanoparticles doped on three-dimensional fibrous networks, Pt6@hydrogel shows efficient catalytic activity for the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. The Pt6@hydrogel requires an overpotential of 45 mV at -10 mA cm-2 with a Tafel slope of 52 mV dec-1. The Pt6@hydrogel also shows electrocatalytic activity in basic and neutral pH solutions. The excellent activity and stability of Pt6@hydrogel for the HER shows great potential for energy conversion applications.

Ultrahigh electrocatalytic activity with trace amounts of platinum loadings on free-standing mesoporous titanium nitride nanotube arrays for hydrogen evolution reactions

Minimizing Pt loadings on electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) is essential for their commercial applications. Herein, free-standing mesoporous titanium nitride nanotube arrays (TiN NTAs) were fabricated to serve as a substrate for Pt loadings in trace amounts. TiN NTAs were prepared by thermal treatment of anodic TiO2 NTAs at 750 °C for 3 h in a NH3 atmosphere. The uniform TiN NTAs showed an inner diameter of ∼80 nm and a length of ∼7 μm, with many mesoporous holes ranging from 5 to 10 nm in diameter on the nanotube walls. Pt species dissolved from the Pt counter electrode in electrochemical cycling were redeposited on the mesoporous TiN NTAs to produce Pt-TiN NTAs with an ultra-low Pt loading of 8.3 μg cm-2. Pt-TiN NTAs exhibited 15-fold higher mass activity towards HER than the benchmark 20 wt% Pt/C in acidic media, with an overpotential of 71 mV vs. RHE at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, a Tafel slope value of 46.4 mV dec-1 and excellent stability. The performance of Pt-TiN NTAs is also much better than that of Pt species deposited on non-mesoporous nanotube arrays due to the shortcuts originating from the mesoporous holes on the nanotube walls for electron and mass transfer.

PtMn/PtCo alloy nanofascicles: robust electrocatalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction under both acidic and alkaline conditions

Herein, PtMn and PtCo nanofascicles were prepared by ultrathin nanofibers using a versatile method, and can be employed as effective electrocatalysts toward the HER under both acidic and alkaline conditions.

IrCo alloy nanoparticles supported on N-doped carbon for hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis in acidic and alkaline electrolytes

Designing efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great importance to advance water splitting technology towards practical applications. Herein, we report the preparation of IrCo nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon (IrCo/NC) as a HER electrocatalyst in acidic and alkaline electrolytes. The IrCo/NC composite is obtained by pyrolyzing an Ir-doped Co(OH)2 precursor on g-C3N4, and is endowed with N-doped carbon and uniform IrCo alloy nanoparticles via a crystal confinement resulting from the Ir-doping into the Co(OH)2 layer. Electrocatalytic analysis shows that the IrCo/NC electrode requires low overpotentials of 32 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 33 mV in 1 M KOH, which are superior to those of the Co/NC and IrCo alloys that are free of Ir-doping or N-doped carbon. The results provide a strategy for designing and preparing active noble-transition bimetallic alloy electrocatalysts as efficient HER catalysts.