Single-Atom Molybdenum Engineered Platinum Nanocatalyst for Boosted Alkaline Hydrogen Oxidation

Engineering the surface electrochemistry at the atomic level can precisely and effectively manipulate the reactivity and durability of catalysts. Herein, a novel single-atom fine-tailoring strategy based on a highly hydrophilic Mo-bifunctional promoter is proposed to greatly boost the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) on Pt catalysts. The single-atom Mo-modified nanometer Pt anchored on porous N-doped carbon (Mo-Pt/NC) is developed via a pyrolysis-adsorption-reduction process. The designed Mo-Pt/NC exhibits a remarkable mass-specific kinetic current reaching 1584 mA mg(Pt)(-1) in 0.1 m KOH, which is nearly 11-fold and fourfold higher than the activities of commercial Pt/C and Pt/NC counterparts respectively, and such extraordinary HOR behavior even exceeds those of documented Pt-related catalysts. Electrochemical and spectroscopic studies indicate that hydrophilic Mo single-atom sites can not only regulate the electronic microenvironment of Pt sites for attenuated H* adsorption, but they also serve as energetic H2O*-adsorption promoters to jointly facilitate the HOR kinetics. Moreover, the anti-CO poisoning capability of Mo-Pt/NC is markedly enhanced by this Mo-modified electronic effect. This work gives a significant guideline for the design of high-performance HOR catalysts and other advanced catalysts.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel single-atom fine-tailoring strategy based on a highly hydrophilic Mo-bifunctional promoter was proposed to greatly boost the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) on Pt catalysts. The designed Mo-Pt/NC exhibited remarkable mass-specific kinetic current and superior anti-CO poisoning capability.