Ultrathin core–shell–satellite structured Au@PtPd@Pt nanowires for superior electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

The rational structural and compositional design of Pt-based electrocatalysts is effective in synergizing the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of Pt for developing high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts. In this study, we present the synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) Au@PtPd@Pt nanowires using a template-induced method. The nanowires are composed of ultrathin PtPd alloy layers coated on the surface of Au nanowires (NWs) and ultrafine island-like Pt nanoparticles grown on the surface of a PtPd alloy shell. The resulting Au@PtPd@Pt nanowires exhibit exceptional electrocatalytic activity and excellent long-term electrochemical stability toward the alkaline HER, which is attributed to the synergistic effect of the anisotropic ultrathin 1D nanowires with a prominent core–shell–satellite structure and the trimetallic elemental compositions. The nanowires demonstrate a low overpotential of 23 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming commercial Pt/C, and bimetallic counterparts. Additionally, the integrated Au@PtPd@Pt//RuO₂ electrolyzer achieves a lower operating potential of 1.52 V to achieve 10 mA cm⁻², surpassing the performance of the commercial Pt/C//RuO₂ configuration. This highlights its great potential for practical water electrolysis. This work showcases an effective design approach that comprehensively and rationally considers both the designed nanostructure and multiple compositions to achieve high-performance electrocatalysts for various electrochemical reactions.