Construction of Ti3C2T x MXene Supported Low-Platinum Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction by Direct Electrochemical Strategy

The design of high-performance catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is urgently needed in the development of renewable energy. Herein, we report a rapid strategy for synthesizing an efficient catalyst with ultralow-Pt nanoclusters on a two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene support (denoted as Pt NCs-MXene, 5 μg cm−2) via electrophoretic deposition and cyclic voltammetry. The MXene support not only provides more active sites to anchor Pt nanoclusters (NCs) but also increases the electrochemically active surface area. The electrochemical HER performance of the as-synthesized Pt NCs-MXene catalyst was investigated in an acid electrolyte. The results showed that at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, the overpotential and Tafel slope of the Pt NCs-MXene were 40 mV and 50.8 mV dec−1, respectively, lower than those of the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. The turnover frequency and mass activity of the Pt NCs-MXene were 7.09 H2 s−1 and 7.02 A mgPt−1, respectively, which were approximately 70 times those of the Pt/C catalyst. Moreover, the developed catalyst also exhibited a stable hydrogen evolution current for 18 h in a long-term cycling test. This work can provide novel and nontoxic methods for the preparation of low-Pt loading electrocatalysts for high-efficiency HER.