Reversed Spillover Effect Activated by Pt Atom Dimers Boosts Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

The hydrogen spillover effect has garnered considerable attention as a promising avenue to enhance the activity of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in metal-support compound materials. Herein, Pt atom dimers on the NiOOH support are successfully synthesized with a reversed hydrogen spillover effect, demonstrating much better alkaline HER activity than Pt single atoms and Pt clusters. Atomic and electronic structure characterizations unequivocally verify the anchoring of Pt atom dimers on NiOOH through PtO bonds, thus obtaining a reversed and enhanced hydrogen spillover effect. Theoretical and experimental results indicate that NiOOH exhibits pronounced water dissociation capability, while the Pt atom dimers, in comparison to Pt single atoms and Pt clusters, demonstrate superior hydrogen desorption ability. The reversed spillover with Pt atom dimers leads to remarkable HER activity in alkaline solutions, as evidenced by an ultra-small overpotential of 13 mV at 10 mA cm(-2). These findings not only provide insights into the potential use of atom dimers for HER, but also shed light on reversed spillover in designing high-performance catalysts.

Automated summary

The reverse hydrogen spillover effect exhibited by Pt atom dimers on the NiOOH support leads to superior alkaline HER activity compared to Pt single atoms and Pt clusters. This finding provides insights into designing high-performance catalysts.