Binary platinum alloy electrodes for hydrogen and oxygen evolutions by seawater splitting

Hydrogen and oxygen evolutions by seawater splitting are persistent objectives for green energy production. We present here the experimental realization of Ti foil supported PtM (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Pd) alloy electrodes by a cycle voltammetry method for seawater splitting. The preliminary results demonstrate that the resultant Ti supported PtM alloy electrodes are robust in realizing high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), arising from enhanced current density, reduced potential, and good durability. By tuning M species, the Ti supported PtPd alloy electrode displays a maximal efficiency, yielding an onset potential of -52 mV and 690 mV (vs RHE) in HER and OER, respectively. The current densities of Ti supported PtPd electrode are as high as 270 mA cm(-2) at 1.32 V (vs RHE) and 590 mA cm(-2) at 3.99 V (vs RHE). Moreover, the long-term stability has also been increased by alloying Pt with M. Although the work presented here is far from optimized, the concept of alloying transition metals with Pt can guide us to design highly efficient alloy electrodes for hydrogen and oxygen evolutions from seawater splitting. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.