In situ analysis of a boron-based catalytic electrode with trace platinum for efficient hydrogen evolution in a wide pH range

Abstract

The development of highly active and cost-effective catalytic electrodes that function effectively across a wide range of pH values is one of the challenges to achieving efficient and stable hydrogen production via electrolytic water. This work constructs a self-supported catalytic electrode (Pt-NiB@NF) by growing boron-based catalytic materials in situ on nickel foam (NF) through mild electroless plating and then rapidly “decorating” trace amounts of platinum (Pt) on the precursor surface via electrodeposition. Decorating with trace amounts of Pt (0.58 wt%) achieves a 3.5-fold enhancement in the performance of NiB@NF. Pt-NiB@NF exhibits low hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) overpotentials of 70 mV and 12 mV at a current density of 100 mA cm⁻² in neutral high-salt media and alkaline environments, respectively. Meanwhile, Pt-NiB@NF demonstrates long-term stability at industrial-scale current densities, maintaining for 120 hours at 100 mA cm⁻² in neutral high-salt media and for 1200 hours at 500 mA cm⁻² in alkaline electrolyte. The strategy of mild electroless plating and rapid electroplating realizes large-area electrode preparation for assembling a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, more promising for industry-grade hydrogen production via water splitting. This work provides an optimized solution for the commercialization and large-scale production of high-performance Pt-based electrodes through a simple preparation strategy.