Fast synthesis of Pt single-atom catalyst with high intrinsic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction by plasma sputtering

Platinum-based materials are identified as the most effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic media. However, the scarcity and high cost of platinum (Pt) have limited its wide application. Therefore, catalysts with low loading but high intrinsic activity can promote the wide application of Pt. In this work, we creatively applied plasma sputtering to deposit Pt single atoms on TiO2-X as an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst. The catalyst shows high intrinsic activity and superior stability in acid media, with high turnover frequency (38.9H(2) s(-1)) and mass-specific activity (39.1 A/mg Pt) at 50 mV (vs. RHE) overpotential in 0.5 M H2SO4 that are respectively 3.3 and 11.04 times greater than those of the commercial 20% Pt/C catalyst. In particular, the plasma sputtering method used in this work can shorten the synthesis period of the catalyst to 'minutes' or even 'seconds.' This work provides guidance and inspiration for the fast synthesis of catalysts with high intrinsic activity for various applications. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Plasma sputtering was creatively applied to deposit Pt single atoms on TiO2-X as an efficient HER catalyst, showing high intrinsic activity and superior stability in acidic media. The method can shorten the synthesis period of the catalyst to 'minutes' or even 'seconds,' providing guidance and inspiration for the fast synthesis of catalysts with high intrinsic activity for various applications.