Nonequilibrium-corrosive engineering synthesis of Pt anchored on Fe₃O₄ with oxygen vacancy for efficient...

The development of suitable support to maximize the atomic utilization efficiency of platinum is of great significance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we report a simple and fast nonequilibrium-corrosive approach to prepare oxygen defect-enriched Fe₃O₄ decorated with trace Pt onto nickel-iron foam (Pt/Fe₃O₄-O_v/NIF). The Pt/Fe₃O₄-O_v/NIF electrode is superhydrophilic with intimate contact with the electrolyte. In addition, the strong electronic interactions between Fe₃O₄ and Pt and the oxygen-rich vacancies contribute to the catalytic process and improve the electrochemical interfacial properties. Thus, the Pt/Fe₃O₄-O_v/NIF electrocatalyst only requires an overpotential of 29 and 39 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 in alkaline freshwater/alkaline seawater, respectively, exhibiting superior HER activity. Furthermore, the anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE) owns low cell voltage of 1.86 V at 1000 mA cm^-2 and long-term electrocatalysis durability. This work provides an effective approach for designing efficient AEMWE electrocatalysts for hydrogen production.