Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 13, 2026

Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Strain-Controlled Pt Single-Atom Catalysts on Crumpled MXene Supports for Highly Active Hydrogen Evolution
Xiaomin Chen1, Ding Yuan1, Chao Rong2
1Institute of Energy Materials Science, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Strain engineering offers a powerful means to regulate the electronic structure and catalytic behavior of active metal sites, yet a general framework linking strain to electrocatalytic performance remains elusive beyond the conventional d-band model. Here we report crumpled double-transition-metal MXene nanosheets (Mo2TiC2Tx) decorated with Pt single atoms, in which a tunable strain field is introduced through a physical diaphragm balloon method. The resulting cMo2TiC2Tx-PtSA catalyst exhibits outstanding alkaline hydrogen evolution performance, requiring overpotentials of only 24.9 and 75.5 mV to reach 10 and 50 mA cm-2, respectively, together with a mass activity of 11 859 mA mgPt-1, around 178-fold higher than commercial Pt/C, a Tafel slope of 31.61 mV dec-1 and excellent durability. In situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations show that the ordered long-range strain field around isolated Pt sites accelerates interfacial water activation while preserving near-optimal H adsorption, thereby facilitating H2 release. The resulting catalyst delivered a high current density of 3 A cm-2 at a low voltage of 1.98 V and maintained stable operation at 1000 mA cm-2 for over 500 h. These performance metrics underscore the potential of cMo2TiC2Tx-PtSA for industrial applications.
Related Concept Videos
Heterogeneous Catalysis
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Catalysis
Catalysis
Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the surface of...
Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.
