Pt single atoms anchored on borate anion-intercalated CoP nanoflower for enhanced hydrogen generation kinetics of NaBH4 hydrolysis

Rationally designing single-atom catalysts (SACs) with high atomic efficiency and excellent catalytic performance is effective for boosting sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ) hydrolysis activity. Herein, a series of Pt single-atom catalysts supported on Co-based compounds (Pt/CoP-B, Pt/CoP, Pt/Co 3 O 4 -B) were successfully synthesized via wet impregnation method. Pt M /CoP-B (6.2 wt% Pt loading) exhibited optimal performance at 30 °C: a turnover frequency (TOF) of 1103.26 mol H2 min −1 mol −1 Pt , a hydrogen generation rate (HGR) of 10746 mL min −1 g −1 cat which corresponded to 1.46 times higher than Pt M /Co 3 O 4 -B and 1.33 times higher than Pt M /CoP, outperforming most reported noble metal-based catalysts. It also possessed a low activation energy of 31.05 kJ mol −1 and excellent cycling stability, retaining 95.15 % of initial activity after five consecutive cycles. XPS confirmed strong metal-support interaction between Pt single atoms and CoP-B, which inducing electron transfer from Pt to Co to form electron-deficient Pt and electron-rich Co. DFT calculations revealed that Pt/CoP-B imposes a much lower energy barrier for rate-determining B–H bond cleavage and more effectively promotes H 2 O adsorption. This work offers a new paradigm for creating complementary electronic sites via single-atom-support synergy, opening a novel avenue for advanced NaBH 4 hydrolysis catalysts.