Catalytic activity of Co-nanocrystal-doped tungsten carbide arising from an internal magnetic field

Pt is an excellent and widely used hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst. However, it is a rare and expensive metal, and alternative catalysts are being sought to facilitate the hydrogen economy. As tungsten carbide (WC) has a Pt-like occupied density of states, it is expected to exhibit catalytic activity. However, unlike Pt, excellent catalytic activity has not yet been observed for mono WC. One of the intrinsic differences between WC and Pt is in their magnetic properties; WC is non-magnetic, whereas Pt exhibits high magnetic susceptibility. In this study, the WC lattice was doped with ferromagnetic Co nanocrystals to introduce an ordered-spin atomic configuration. The catalytic activity of the Co-doped WC was ∼30% higher than that of Pt nanoparticles for the HER during the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (NH₃BH₃), which is currently attracting attention as a hydrogen fuel source. Measurements of the magnetisation, enthalpy of adsorption, and activation energy indicated that the synergistic effect of the WC matrix promoting hydrolytic cleavage of NH₃BH₃ and the ferromagnetic Co crystals interacting with the nucleus spin of the protons was responsible for the enhanced catalytic activity. This study presents a new catalyst design strategy based on the concept of an internal magnetic field. The WC-Co material presented here is expected to have a wide range of applications as an HER catalyst.