Issue 10, 2023

An ultra-low Pt metal nitride electrocatalyst for sustainable seawater hydrogen production

Abstract

The production of hydrogen through electrolysis of seawater is a promising technology for sustainable energy generation. Platinum (Pt) is currently the most efficient catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but its high cost, scarcity, and poor durability hinder large-scale deployment. Here, we report a highly robust ultra-low Pt (0.07 wt%) electrocatalyst supported on nickel–molybdenum nitride (Pt–Ni@NiMoN) that outperforms commercial 20 wt% Pt/C and previously reported precious and non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts for seawater splitting. This catalyst exhibits an overpotential of only 11 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in seawater, and a low overpotential of 90 mV at 500 mA cm−2, which is required for industrial-scale water splitting. It is also highly durable, maintaining its performance for at least 200 hours in seawater and under harsh conditions of highly chlorinated 2 M NaCl. The Pt–Ni@NiMoN electrocatalyst thus offers a realistic opportunity for large-scale hydrogen production through electrolysis of seawater.

Graphical abstract: An ultra-low Pt metal nitride electrocatalyst for sustainable seawater hydrogen production

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 May 2023
Accepted
05 Sep 2023
First published
07 Sep 2023

Energy Environ. Sci., 2023,16, 4584-4592

An ultra-low Pt metal nitride electrocatalyst for sustainable seawater hydrogen production

H. Hu, Z. Zhang, Y. Zhang, T. Thomas, H. Du, K. Huang, J. P. Attfield and M. Yang, Energy Environ. Sci., 2023, 16, 4584 DOI: 10.1039/D3EE01541F

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