Ultra-Efficient and Cost-Effective Platinum Nanomembrane Electrocatalyst for Sustainable Hydrogen Production

Xiang Gao; Shicheng Dai; Yun Teng; Qing Wang; Zhibo Zhang; Ziyin Yang; Minhyuk Park; Hang Wang; Zhe Jia; Yunjiang Wang; Yong Yang

doi:10.1007/s40820-024-01324-5

Ultra-Efficient and Cost-Effective Platinum Nanomembrane Electrocatalyst for Sustainable Hydrogen Production

Nanomicro Lett. 2024 Feb 5;16(1):108. doi: 10.1007/s40820-024-01324-5.

Authors

Xiang Gao^#¹, Shicheng Dai^#^{1

2

3}, Yun Teng^#¹, Qing Wang⁴, Zhibo Zhang¹, Ziyin Yang¹, Minhyuk Park¹, Hang Wang¹, Zhe Jia⁵, Yunjiang Wang^{2

3}, Yong Yang^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
² State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
³ School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Laboratory for Microstructures, Institute of Materials, Shanghai University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
⁵ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Advanced Metallic Materials, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. yonyang@cityu.edu.hk.
⁷ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. yonyang@cityu.edu.hk.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Hydrogen production through hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) offers a promising solution to combat climate change by replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources. However, the widespread adoption of efficient electrocatalysts, such as platinum (Pt), has been hindered by their high cost. In this study, we developed an easy-to-implement method to create ultrathin Pt nanomembranes, which catalyze HER at a cost significantly lower than commercial Pt/C and comparable to non-noble metal electrocatalysts. These Pt nanomembranes consist of highly distorted Pt nanocrystals and exhibit a heterogeneous elastic strain field, a characteristic rarely seen in conventional crystals. This unique feature results in significantly higher electrocatalytic efficiency than various forms of Pt electrocatalysts, including Pt/C, Pt foils, and numerous Pt single-atom or single-cluster catalysts. Our research offers a promising approach to develop highly efficient and cost-effective low-dimensional electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production, potentially addressing the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

Keywords: Heterogeneous strain; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Lattice distortion; Platinum.