Piezocatalysis-Enabled High-Efficiency Hydrogen Evolution with Single-Atom Platinum on MoS₂ Nanoflowers

The advent of single-atom catalysts (SACs) has revolutionized catalysis, delivering outstanding performance in diverse chemical reactions. This study introduces a novel piezoelectric catalytic system employing single-atom platinum-modified MoS₂ nanoflowers (NFs) for enhanced hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). High-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) identifies single-atom platinum as bright dots, while X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analyses verify its oxidation state and radial distance. Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) confirms increased piezoresponse amplitude due to structural asymmetry from platinum modification. Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) reveals an extended carrier lifetime of 5.7 ns, while the modified catalyst (SA-Pt-01, MoS₂ NFs with 1 wt.% Pt) achieves a fourfold increase in hydrogen production efficiency, reaching 2206.15 µmol·g^-1·h^-1. Notably, SA-Pt-1 generates 7786.9 µmol·g^-1 in 12 h, showcasing sustained performance. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) detects stronger •OH radical signals, indicating increased reactive availability. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations show that single-atom Pt incorporation enhances adsorption energy and reduces energy barriers for hydrogen production. These findings underscore the potential of single-atom Pt-modified MoS₂ NFs as efficient, sustainable catalysts for clean hydrogen energy applications.