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Updated: Aug 6, 2025
Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
Ultrahigh Mass Activity Pt Entities Consisting of Pt Single atoms, Clusters, and Nanoparticles for Improved Hydrogen
Zhiqiang Zeng1,2, Sven Küspert1,2, S Esmael Balaghi2,3
1Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry (IAAC), University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Platinum is one of the best-performing catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, high cost and scarcity severely hinder the large-scale application of Pt electrocatalysts. Constructing highly dispersed ultrasmall Platinum entities is thereby a very effective strategy to increase Pt utilization and mass activities, and reduce costs. Herein, highly dispersed Pt entities composed of a mixture of Pt single atoms, clusters, and nanoparticles are synthesized on mesoporous N-doped carbon nanospheres. The presence of Pt single atoms, clusters, and nanoparticles is demonstrated by combining among others aberration-corrected annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and electrochemical CO stripping. The best catalyst exhibits excellent geometric and Pt HER mass activity, respectively ≈4 and 26 times higher than that of a commercial Pt/C reference and a Pt catalyst supported on nonporous N-doped carbon nanofibers with similar Pt loadings. Noteworthily, after optimization of the geometrical Pt electrode loading, the best catalyst exhibits ultrahigh Pt and catalyst mass activities (56 ± 3 A mg-1 Pt and 11.7 ± 0.6 A mg-1 Cat at -50 mV vs. reversible hydrogen electrode), which are respectively ≈1.5 and 58 times higher than the highest Pt and catalyst mass activities for Pt single-atom and cluster-based catalysts reported so far.
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