Boosting electrochemical stability and hydrogen evolution activity of small-Pt nanoparticles by rational decoration on Cu nanowires composited with carbon black

• Published in: Inorganic chemistry communications 2023-06, Vol.152, p.110615, Article 110615
• Main Authors: Chuyen Phan, Thi, Seung Chung, Pil, Lee, Doyeon, Nguyen, Van-Toan, Kim, HyunChul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1387-7003; 1879-0259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.inoche.2023.110615

[Display omitted] •Copper nanowire decorated ultrasmall – Pt nanoparticles composited with carbon black (Cux@PtyNW/C) is rationally designed by a hydrothermal route.•The morphologies, structure and composition of Cux@PtyNW/C are characterized.•A 17 % wt of Pt sample (40-Cu3@Pt2 NW/C) exhibits lower Tafel slope (by 8.8 %) than that of commercial catalyst (20 %wt of Pt /C)•The 40-Cu3@Pt2 NW/C catalyst shows exellent long-term stability with current density unchanged after 22 h tested by chronoamperometry mesurement at 20 mA cm−2. A Copper nanowire (Cu NW) decorated small-Pt nanoparticles composited with carbon black (Cux@Pty NW/C) is rationally designed by a hydrothermal route, in which, Cu NWs act as a backbone core for accelerating the electron transfer rate while carbon black acts as a support to aid a uniform distribution of Cux@Pty NW resulting in enlarging the electrochemically active surface area of Cux@Pty NW/C catalysts. The composited material (Cux@Pty NW/C) demonstrated the boosting of both electrocatalytic activity and durability towards hydrogen evolution reaction. The 40-Cu3@Pt2 NW/C catalyst (containing 17 wt% Pt) requires just only a potential of 32 mV to produce the current density at 10 mA.cm−2 which is the same potential value (30 mV) as a benchmark-commercial Pt/C catalyst (20 wt% Pt). Especially, 40-Cu3@Pt2 NW/C exhibits the lowest Tafel slope of 24.7 mV.dec-1, lower by 8.8 % than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst (27.1 mV.dec-1). The 40-Cu3@Pt2 NW/C catalyst shows excellent long-term stability with an undeviating current density over 22 h (chronoamperometry measurement tested at current density of 20 mA.cm−2) compared to Pt/C catalyst.