Ultra-Efficient and Cost-Effective Platinum Nanomembrane Electrocatalyst for Sustainable Hydrogen Production

doi:10.1007/s40820-024-01324-5

Abstract

Abstract:

Hydrogen production through hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) offers a promising solution to combat climate change by replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources. However, the widespread adoption of efficient electrocatalysts, such as platinum (Pt), has been hindered by their high cost. In this study, we developed an easy-to-implement method to create ultrathin Pt nanomembranes, which catalyze HER at a cost significantly lower than commercial Pt/C and comparable to non-noble metal electrocatalysts. These Pt nanomembranes consist of highly distorted Pt nanocrystals and exhibit a heterogeneous elastic strain field, a characteristic rarely seen in conventional crystals. This unique feature results in significantly higher electrocatalytic efficiency than various forms of Pt electrocatalysts, including Pt/C, Pt foils, and numerous Pt single-atom or single-cluster catalysts. Our research offers a promising approach to develop highly efficient and cost-effective low-dimensional electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production, potentially addressing the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

Key words: Platinum, Hydrogen evolution reaction, Lattice distortion, Heterogeneous strain

Xiang Gao, Shicheng Dai, Yun Teng, Qing Wang, Zhibo Zhang, Ziyin Yang, Minhyuk Park, Hang Wang, Zhe Jia, Yunjiang Wang, Yong Yang. Ultra-Efficient and Cost-Effective Platinum Nanomembrane Electrocatalyst for Sustainable Hydrogen Production[J]. Nano-Micro Letters, 2024, 16(1): 108-.

Xiang Gao, Shicheng Dai, Yun Teng, Qing Wang, Zhibo Zhang, Ziyin Yang, Minhyuk Park, Hang Wang, Zhe Jia, Yunjiang Wang, Yong Yang. [J]. Nano-Micro Letters, 2024, 16(1): 108-.

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https://www.qk.sjtu.edu.cn/nml/EN/Y2024/V16/I1/108

Figures/Tables 4

Fig. 1 Structural characterization of our freestanding Pt nanomembrane. a Photograph of the 19-nm-thick freestanding Pt nanomembranes on water surface. b Height profile image of a transferred 19-nm-thick Pt nanomembrane on silicon; the inset shows the AFM image across the edge of the Pt nanomembrane. c Low-magnification TEM image of the 19-nm-thick freestanding Pt nanomembrane, inset shows the corresponding SADP. d Radially integrated intensity of the diffraction patterns of the freestanding nanomembrane, in comparison with those of the single-phase FCC bulk Pt as indicated by the dash lines. e The high revolution TEM image of the 19-nm-thick Pt nanomembrane. Insets are fast Fourier transform (FFT) patterns of the amorphous (upper right) and crystalline (lower left) regions. f Lattice constant with the size of Pt nanocrystal (NC). g Inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT) analysis of the high-resolution TEM image of a typical Pt NC with a FCC structure in (e). h Contour map of the normal stain ɛ_xx in (g). i Distribution of the strain ɛ_xx component. j High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) image of a typical Pt NC with a FCC structure and corresponding elements maps of Pt, C, and O

Fig. 2 Chemical bonding and atomic packing analyses of our 19 nm Pt nanomembranes. a-c X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profile analysis of Pt nanomembrane. Narrow-scan XPS spectra for a Pt 4f, b C 1s, and c O 1s as a function of etching time. d Relative atomic concentration of Pt, C, and O with etching time, as obtained from the quantitative analysis of the XPS. e X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) at Pt L₃ edge. f FT-EXAFS region for the local structure of Pt. g EXAFS χ(k) signals in k-space. h and i show the wavelet transform for the k₃-weighted EXAFS Pt K-edge signal of Pt foil and Pt nanomembrane, respectively

Fig. 3 Acidic HER performance of our Pt nanomembranes. a Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) curves, b Tafel slopes of 5-nm, 10-nm, 19-nm, 28-nm-thick Pt nanomembrane and bulk Pt foil. The inset shows overpotential at 10 mA cm⁻². c Comparison of mass activities measured at 50 mV for our Pt nanomembranes with those of Pt foil and commercial Pt/C. d Stability tests of 19-nm-thick Pt nanomembrane at the current density of 10 mA cm⁻². e Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEM-WE) device performance using our 19 nm Pt nanomembrane as the cathodic HER catalyst and Commercial IrO₂ as the anodic OER catalyst at room temperature, insets are the schematic (left) and photograph (right) of the PEM-WE. f Comparison of our Pt nanomembranes and other HER electrocatalysts in terms of overpotential at 10 mA cm⁻² and cost per area

Fig. 4 The atomic and electronic origin of excellent HER activity on our Pt nanomembrane made up of severely distorted nanocrystals. a-c Projected density of states (DOS) on pristine Pt and distorted Pt surface at crystal orientation (111), (110), and (100), respectively, the dot line indicates Fermi level. d Adsorption free energy versus the reaction coordinate of HER for a conventional crystal with the uniform tensile strain ranging from 0 to 7%. e Adsorption free energy versus the reaction coordinate of HER for a distorted crystal with the heterogeneous tensile strain of 0-7%. f Comparison of free energy vs strain between a conventional and a distorted crystal with the orientation of (111), (110), and (100), insets are the strain mappings of a distorted crystal and conventional crystal at the orientation (111)

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