Lewis-Acid-Rich ZrO2 as a High-Performance Support for Enabling Hydrogen Spillover for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution

Hydrogen spillover offers a promising approach to develop highly active and affordable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction by regulating hydrogen migration and kinetics. Herein, a catalyst composed of osmium nanoparticles supported on zirconium dioxide (Os/ZrO2) is designed and synthesized. The Lewis-acid-rich ZrO2 support not only promotes water dissociation but also triggers hydrogen spillover, thereby optimizing the desorption energetics of hydrogen intermediates. Then, Os/ZrO2 delivers outstanding HER activity in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes, requiring overpotentials of only 16 and 14 mV to reach 10 mA cm–2, surpassing commercial Pt/C and Os/C. Mechanistic studies have confirmed the occurrence of hydrogen spillover, whereby hydrogen intermediates migrate from the Os nanoparticles to the ZrO2 surface, effectively tuning the adsorption/desorption kinetics and leading to significantly enhanced HER performance. Furthermore, in an anion-exchange membrane electrolyzer, Os/ZrO2||RuO2 achieves a low voltage of 1.82 V at 1 A cm–2 and maintains stable operation, translating to a hydrogen production cost of $0.97 per gasoline gallon equivalent. This work presents an effective strategy for designing high-performance HER catalysts through hydrogen spillover engineering, providing a feasible route for enhanced electrocatalytic systems.