Sub-nanometric Pt clusters supported Co aerogel electrocatalyst with hierarchical micro/nano-porous structure for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

The construction of interactions and synergies between sub-nanometric clusters and supports provides unexpected opportunity to realize high performance and low-cost composite catalysis. However, hierarchical micro/nano-porous structured catalysts closely related to mass transport have been neglected as support, which may play a leading role in industrial practical applications. Herein, we report sub-nanometric Pt clusters supported Co aerogel (Ptx/Co, X is the wt% of Pt) with hierarchical micro/nano-porous structure, and after optimization of the loading, Pt0.25/Co shows excellent HER performance. Additionally, Pt0.25/Co demonstrates the industrially needed current density of 1.0 A cm−2 at 1.8 V in PEM electrolyser, achieving stability in excess of 200 h. Theoretical calculations show that the advantages of the hierarchical micro/nano-porous structure accelerate the mass transport at the three-phase interface, and the strong interaction between sub-nanometric Pt clusters and Co aerogel not only optimizes the electronic structure of Pt0.25/Co, but also inhibits the dissolution of sub-nanometric Pt clusters.