Scalable Ni‑driven synthesis of Pt single‑site catalysts for hydrogen evolution.

Ma, Huijing; Wang, Haifei; Cai, Chengcheng; Song, Hongyu; Guo, Qianqing; Long, Xia; Qian, Xufang; Zhao, Yixin · Nat Commun · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Low-platinum-loading electrocatalysts, offering both high activity and durability under practical conditions, are essential for sustainable hydrogen production. Here we report a scalable synthesis of a platinum single-site catalyst supported on Ni-N-doped carbon nanotubes, achieved via a facile Ni-driven one-step reduction-displacement of Pt<sup>4+</sup>. The catalyst NCNT-Ni/Pt features a N<sub>2</sub>-Pt-Cl<sub>2</sub> initial coordination, where the dynamic evolution of Pt-Cl bonds regulates the hydrogen evolution reaction performance. Excitingly, the catalyst demonstrates an overpotential of 7.78 ± 0.86 mV at 10 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. With a Pt loading of 6 μg cm<sup>-2</sup>, it enables industrially relevant proton exchange membrane water electrolysis at 1.63 V@1 A cm<sup>-2</sup>, with a degradation rate of 3.3 μV h<sup>-1</sup>, sustained over 4500 h. Coupled with a 21%-efficient photovoltaic module, it delivers a 16.06% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency at industrial-level current density. This study presents a practical strategy for minimizing precious-metal use in the synthesis of industrial-grade hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts.