Ultrathin Ti3C2Tx MXene sheets with high electrochemically active area anchored Pt boosting hydrogen evolution

Abstract

To reduce platinum usage, ultrathin MXene sheets with little restacking effect were prepared. The ultrathin MXene was prepared by a two-step etching process, which showed high specific surface area with low charge transfer resistance. The sample showed a double layer capacity of 64.98 mF cm−2, which is 14 times as large as that of ordinary HF prepared MXene, indicating a larger electrochemically active surface area. It showed a much better HER performance of ∼190 mV at 10 mA cm−2. The better performance attributes to 0.4 wt% Pt loaded. The Pt loaded MXene exhibited a better HER performance of ∼75 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 61.7 mV·dec−1 close to 40 wt% commercial Pt/C. The sample performed better than Pt/C in a 3 h chronopotentiometry test and hardly changed in ECSA after the cyclic experiment. With more Pt loading, the sample delivered better HER performance than Pt/C in the LSV test (∼51 mV at 10 mA cm−2). This work provides an effective route for the preparation of ultrathin MXene sheets with larger electrochemically active area and more active sites for Pt loading, leading to superior HER performance.