Optimizing porous carbon Nanospheres as supports for enhanced Electrocatalytic performance of platinum-based...

The structure and composition of catalyst supports are pivotal in optimizing the catalytic performance of platinum (Pt)-based catalysts. In this work, a series of metal‑nitrogen co-doped porous carbon nanospheres (M-NC, M = Co, Ni, and Cu) were synthesized through a metal-tuning strategy. The introduction of transition metals profoundly influenced morphology, resulting in distinct structural properties of the carbon nanospheres. Among the synthesized materials, Co and N co-doped porous carbon nanosphere (Co-NC) emerged as an exceptional electrocatalytic support for Pt catalysts, delivering remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance with low overpotentials of 16, 64, and 100 mV at current densities of 10, 50, and 100 mA cm^-2, respectively, under acidic conditions. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further elucidated the synergistic interaction between the M-NC support and Pt, which not only enhances the HER activity but also significantly improves the catalytic stability. This study provides a novel strategy for designing advanced M-NC nanomaterials and offers profound insights into the mechanisms underlying the enhanced electrocatalytic performance through the interplay between M-NC supports and Pt nanoparticles.