Fe3O4 supported Pt nanoparticle catalyst for high-efficient hydrogen evolution reaction under full pH range

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of Pt-based electrocatalyts in full pH range can be improved by employing Fe 3 O 4 support to generate the strong metal-support interaction (MSI) effect, which is still rarely reported. Herein, the rod- shaped Fe 3 O 4 supported Pt nanoparticles composite on carbon cloth (CC) (Pt-Fe 3 O 4 /CC) is obtained by hydrothermal method and the followed Atomic Layer Deposition method (ALD). The experimental and theoretical calculation results prove that the charges transfer from Pt to Fe 3 O 4 , and the strong MSI between Fe 3 O 4 and Pt nanoparticles is generated. Thus, the intrinsic activity and stability of Pt is greatly improved, optimizing the H adsorption on the catalyst surface and greatly promoting hydrogen (H 2 ) formation. The Pt-Fe 3 O 4 /CC catalyst exhibits excellent HER performance under alkaline, neutral and acidic conditions, with overpotentials of 22 mV, 59 mV and 29 mV, respectively, to drive a current density of 10 mA cm −2 . And its overpotentials are 79 mV and 288 mV under alkaline and neutral conditions at a current density of 100 mA cm −2 , respectively, which are significantly lower than those of Pt/C (112 mV and 389 mV). Meanwhile, the catalyst has excellent stability under alkaline and neutral conditions. This research proposes a novel approach for the strategic design of high-performance HER catalysts.