Host-Guest Interaction Creates Hydrogen-Evolution Electrocatalytic Active Sites in 3d Transition Metal-Intercalated Titanates

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is involved in energy-intensive water- and chlor-alkali electrolyzers, and thus, highly active and stable HER electrocatalysts in alkaline media are needed. Titanates, a family of representative two-dimensional materials with negatively charged main layers, are chemically and structurally stable under strongly basic conditions, but they have never been shown to have electrocatalytic activity for HER. Herein, we report that intercalating 3d metal cations, including Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+ ions, into the interlayer regions of titanates yields efficient and robust electrocatalysts for the alkaline HER. The intercalation of 3d metal cations in titanates is achieved by rapid cation-exchange reaction between Na+-containing titanates and 3d metal cations at room temperature. Among the 3d metal-intercalated titanates we synthesize, the Co2+-containing material is found to show the best electrocatalytic activity. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that the strong electronic interaction between 3d metal cations and negatively charged main [TiO6](infinity) layers renders good catalytic activity to the outermost oxygen atoms in the [TiO6](infinity) layer, further making 3d metal-intercalated titanate an efficient electrocatalyst for the HER.