Superior HER Activity of rGO@AuNRs@SAC-Pt Promoted by Maximized Electronic Interaction and Plasmonic Hot Carriers

Electrocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production provides a solution to the problems of energy depletion and environmental pollution. Platinum has been considered as the best catalyst for this reaction; however, its practical application is limited by its high cost and scarcity. Here, we propose a high performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst comprising a single atomic layer of Pt decorated on an Au nanorod surface (AuNRs@SAC-Pt) using a method of underpotential deposition followed by chemical replacement reaction. This catalyst exhibits superior HER activity via maximized electronic interaction with the substrate and gold plasmonic hot carriers. To retain the stability, dispersion, and good conductivity of the catalyst, graphene was used as the support, forming a hybrid (rGO@AuNRs@SAC-Pt). The Pt single atomic layer structure can fully improve the atomic utilization of Pt, maximizing the electronic interaction with the Au substrate, which significantly promotes the HER catalytic performance. The mass activity of rGO@AuNRs@SAC-Pt is 14 times higher than that of the 20% commercial Pt/C catalyst. Meanwhile, the plasmonic hot electrons of AuNRs can further promote the HER performance of Pt single atom as revealed by the significantly decreased overpotential with laser illumination. This research provides new strategies and theoretical guidance for the design of HER catalysts with high atom utilization and excellent catalytic performance.

Automated summary

This study proposes a high-performance catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by decorating a single atomic layer of platinum on gold nanorods. It shows superior catalytic performance with a mass activity 14 times higher than that of commercial catalysts. The use of graphene as a support further enhances the stability and conductivity of the catalyst.