Facile tailoring of a multi-element nanocomposite for electrocatalysis

Abstract

Multielement combinations either as high entropy alloys or as nanocomposites are highly effective electrocatalysts for key reactions such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Both these reactions are crucial for generation of green hydrogen from water splitting. In this work we demonstrate the concept of using an electrical double layer to modulate the formation of these multielement catalysts. A one-pot, room temperature synthesis method is used to prepare dual functional HER and OER catalysts. The nanocomposite catalyst (NAC) forms chain-like structures composed of Au nanoparticle (AuNP) cores with a shell structure of Pt, Ni, Cu, Co and V that form a combination of metallic and amorphous composite heterostructures on a nanoscale, tailored using the electrical double layer. The NAC achieves low HER and OER overpotentials in 0.1 M KOH with fast kinetics for both reactions.