Inserted-B atoms modulating electronic structure of Pt enhancing hydrogen evolution under Universal-pH

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• High-performance electrocatalysts are crucial for green hydrogen production via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
• Achieving efficient and durable HER across all pH conditions (acidic, neutral, and alkaline) remains a significant challenge.
• Tuning catalyst properties through doping offers a promising strategy to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel electrocatalyst for efficient and durable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) across a wide pH range.
• To investigate the effect of boron doping on platinum's electronic structure and HER performance.
• To understand the mechanism of enhanced HER activity in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of boron-doped platinum catalysts (Pt80B20/C) with controlled boron content.
• Electrochemical characterization of HER performance, including overpotential measurements in different pH electrolytes.
• Durability testing of the catalyst through prolonged electrolysis.
• Theoretical calculations (e.g., DFT) to elucidate the electronic structure and catalytic mechanism.

Main Results:

• The optimized Pt80B20/C catalyst exhibited excellent HER performance with low overpotentials: 7 mV (acidic), 37 mV (alkaline), and 47 mV (neutral).
• The catalyst demonstrated remarkable stability, with negligible performance decay after 100 hours of electrolysis, outperforming commercial Pt/C.
• Theoretical analysis confirmed that boron doping optimizes the electronic structure of platinum, enhancing hydrogen intermediate adsorption/desorption and facilitating water dissociation.

Conclusions:

• Boron doping is an effective strategy to engineer platinum-based electrocatalysts for superior HER performance across all pH values.
• The Pt80B20/C catalyst offers a promising alternative to commercial catalysts for large-scale green hydrogen production.
• Understanding the electronic interactions between boron and platinum provides insights for designing next-generation electrocatalysts.