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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Synthesis of Platinum-nickel Nanowires and Optimization for Oxygen Reduction Performance
Published on: April 27, 2018
Superaerophobic TiN Nanowires Boost Bubble Removal and Performance of Pt Catalysts for Highly Efficient Hydrogen
Jia Zhao1, Rong Chen1, Nan Liao1
1Institute of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials and Cells, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Efficient Solar Energy Utilization, Ministry of Education Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photoelectronic Technology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
Abstract:
Electrocatalytic water splitting for green hydrogen production is often limited by bubble accumulation and sluggish interfacial processes, particularly under high current densities. To overcome these challenges, we design a conductive titanium nitride (TiN) nanowire array-supported platinum catalyst (TiN-Pt) for highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction. The key innovation lies in the construction of vertically aligned TiN nanowires with engineered wettability, which optimizes the solid-liquid-gas three-phase interface, enhances electron transfer, and facilitates directional bubble transport. The TiN-Pt catalyst exhibits outstanding stability (>1,000 h) at 1 A cm-2 in both acidic and alkaline media. The assembled proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer with TiN-Pt as the cathode delivers a current density of 1 A cm-2 at 2.2 V with good durability. In situ imaging and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirm that the catalyst enables rapid bubble detachment, suppresses bubble-induced dead zones, and significantly improves the overall electrolysis efficiency.
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