The intriguing bifunctional effect of strong metal support interaction (SMSI) and hydrogen spillover effect (HSPE) for effective hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

The mechanistic insights behind the kinetics of Hydrogen evolution reaction are unraveled through the bifunctional effect - Strong Metal Support Interaction (SMSI) and Hydrogen Spillover Effect (HSPE) on the WO3 hexagonal nanorods decorated with gold clusters and supported on the reduced graphene layers. The investigation is extended to scaling the electrocatalyst in a flexible electrode-carbon fiber for robust hydrogen evolution reaction in broad pH spectra. The research found that the proposed electrocatalyst demonstrated a reduced overpotential of 20 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm2 in acidic conditions and the stability of the ternary catalyst was verified through the Pourbaix profile. The Tafel slope was also comparable to that of the noble metal electrocatalyst Pt/C, with values of 35 mV dec–1 in 0.5 M H2SO4. The study demonstrated the potential for large-scale application of the proposed catalyst with stable operation observed for 24 h.