Assessing Challenges of 2D-Molybdenum Ditelluride for Efficient Hydrogen Generation in a Full-Scale Proton Exchange...

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers are critical enablers for sustainable green hydrogen production due to their high efficiency. However, nonplatinum catalysts are rarely evaluated under actual electrolyzer operating conditions, limiting knowledge of their feasibility for H₂ production at scale. In this work, metallic 1T'-MoTe₂ films were synthesized on carbon cloth supports via chemical vapor deposition and tested as cathodes in PEM electrolysis. Initial three-electrode tests revealed that at 100 mA cm^-2, the overpotential of 1T'-MoTe₂ approached that of leading 1T'-MoS₂ systems, confirming its promise as a hydrogen evolution catalyst. However, when tested in a full-scale PEM electrolyzer, 1T'-MoTe₂ delivered only 150 mA cm^-2 at 2 V, far below expectations. Postelectrolysis analysis revealed an unexpected passivating tellurium layer, likely inhibiting catalytic sites. While initially promising, the unanticipated passivation caused 1T'-MoTe₂ to underperform in practice. This highlights the critical need to evaluate emerging electrolyzer catalysts in PEM electrolyzers, revealing limitations of the idealized three-electrode configuration. Moving forward, validation of model systems in actual electrolyzers will be key to identifying robust nonplatinum catalysts for sustainable green hydrogen production.