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Platinum and Gold Supported on Transition Metal Nitrides for Hydrogen Evolution in an Alkaline Electrolyte

Journal Article · · Energy and Fuels
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [4]
  1. Columbia University, New York, NY (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  3. University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL (United States)
  4. Columbia University, New York, NY (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Here, as the urgency to reduce reliance on fossil fuels increases due to carbon dioxide emissions, hydrogen produced by renewably powered water electrolysis has emerged as a promising technology. Alkaline electrolyzers typically exhibit lower current densities than acidic electrolyzers due to the slow kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under alkaline conditions. This work developed Pt- and Au-modified transition metal nitride (TMN) thin films for improving alkaline HER kinetics. One monolayer Pt–VN, Pt–Mo2N, and Pt–TiN were the most promising thin-film catalysts, with alkaline HER activity approaching that of a bulk Pt foil. Additionally, the Gibbs free energy of adsorbed hydrogen was identified as a useful descriptor for alkaline HER activity on TMN and TMN-supported catalysts and has the potential to guide future studies on TMN-based catalysts for enhancing alkaline HER. For practical applications, the thin-film catalysts were then extended to Pt- and Au-modified TMN powders for alkaline HER. Both 5 wt % Pt/TiN and 2 wt % Pt/TiN powders exhibited lower overpotentials at 5 mA/cm2 when normalized by the Pt electrochemical surface area than the commercial 5 wt % Pt/C benchmark, suggesting a Pt–TiN synergy that creates opportunities for more cost-effective alkaline HER cathodes. Moreover, 20 wt % Au/Mo2N also displayed an enhancement in HER activity when compared to the commercial 20 wt % Au/C benchmark.
Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division (CSGB); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012653; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
2549224
Report Number(s):
BNL--227967-2025-JAAM
Journal Information:
Energy and Fuels, Journal Name: Energy and Fuels Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 39; ISSN 0887-0624
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
Catalysts
Evolution reactions
Gold
Granular materials
Hydrogen evolution reaction
Platinum
Thin films
Transition metal nitrides
X-ray absorption spectroscopy