Molybdenum Single-Atom Solid-Acid Catalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in the Alkaline Electrolyte
Guang Yang, Chunyu Zhang, Zhigang Chen, Juan Wang, Guoliang Gao, Zhiyun Li, Rong Huang, Yi Cui
Abstract
Tailoring the gradient-pH catalytic environment around single-atom centers is rather meaningful in water electrolysis. Herein, we report a two-step strategy including hydrothermal and electrochemical optimization to synthesize PO 4 3– and AlO x – simultaneously coordinated Mo single-atom catalysts on carbon-coated Ni foam. The abundant bridging oxygen atoms between Mo and P/Al atoms result in appealing adsorption and activation of water reactant, as well as an energy-favorable hydrogen desorption behavior due to their solid-acid nature. Consequently, the well-designed Mo–P–Al@NF @NF single-atom solid-acid catalyst system exhibits a comparable hydrogen evolution reaction activity in 1.0 M KOH electrolyte with current response beginning at nearly zero overpotential, delivering a typical current density of 10 mA/cm 2 only requiring overpotential of 48 mV. Moreover, it also shows comparable stability with negligible activity degradation after continuous hydrogen production over 100 h. Our work may provide a guideline for the development of single-atom solid-acid catalysts toward highly efficient water electrolysis and beyond.