Ultrasmall Pt_(2)Sr alloy nanoparticles as efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution in acidic media

Electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in acidic media are vital for the applications of renewable energy electrolyzers.However,the low mass activity of noble Pt urgently needs to be improved due to the strong binding energetics of oxygen species(*O)with Pt sites.Here we report fine PtxSr alloy(-2 nm)supported on N-doped carb on(NC)pyrolyzing from ZIF-8 as bifunctional electrocatalysts toward ORR and HER in acidic media.The representative Pt_(2)Sr/NC exhibits an onset potential of 0.94 V vs.RHE and half-wave potential of 0.84 V toward ORR,and a low over-potential of 27 mV(10 mA cm^(-2))toward HER,respectively.Significantly,the mass activities of Pt_(2)Sr/NC are 6.2 and 2.6 times higher than that of Pt/C toward ORR(at 0.9 V)and HER(at-30 mV),respectively.Simultaneously,Pt_(2)Sr/NC possesses a retention rate of 90.97%toward acidic ORR after 35000 s of continuous operation.Through density functional theory(DFT)calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis,the incorporation of Sr into Pt forming Pt_(2)Sr alloy redistributes the electronic structures of Pt-Pt bonds,changing the rate-determining step for the ORR on Pt sites from the formation of*OH from*O to the generation of*OOH along with decreasing the energy barrier,which is also confirmed by the downshift of d band center.Meanwhile,the downshift of d band center also leads to the optimization of the adsorption energy(H*)with Pt,significantly improving Pt_(2)Sr/NC toward HER.

Enhanced hydrogen evolution from the face-sharing[RuO6]octahedral motif

Hampered by the ambiguous mechanism of hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in basic media,the exploration of highly efficient catalytically active sites for alkaline HER is of significance.Herein,a metal oxide Sr_(4)Ru_(2)O_(9)engineering a face-sharing[RuO_(6)]octahedra motif was synthesized through the solid-state method,and served as HER electrocatalyst.Benefited from the Ru-Ru metallic bonding crossing the common plane,the H*adsorption and reaction energy barriers were optimized.Sr_(4)Ru_(2)O_(9)only required an ultra-small overpotential(η10)of 28 m V at a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2) for HER in 1.0 M KOH with an exceptional stability(180 hours),outperforming the commercial Pt/C(η10=38 mV).These findings suggest a fresh insight in designing novel active sites for electrocatalysis.