Constructing Hydrogen Migration Channel from Atomic Clusters to Single Atom for Superior Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution with Ultralow Pt Loading

Dec 29, 2025Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)

Building a Hydrogen Pathway from Small Atom Groups to Single Atoms for Better Hydrogen Production Using Very Low Platinum

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Abstract

The catalyst with 3.6 wt% platinum loading achieves a mass activity of 14.48 A/mg at 15 mV, surpassing commercial 40 wt% Pt/C by 41-fold.

A dual-active-site architecture allows for independent optimization of hydrogen formation and recombination kinetics.
Introducing a secondary transition metal like manganese helps regulate charge distribution and work function of platinum clusters.
The catalyst demonstrates exceptional activity and stability with only 10% platinum loading compared to commercial benchmarks.
Direct evidence of hydrogen formation, migration, and recombination processes has been confirmed through operando experiments and theoretical calculations.

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Developing highly active and durable cathode catalysts using minimal use of noble metal remains a grand challenge for proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer. Herein we design a Pt-based sub-nanometric catalysts featuring coexisting single atoms and atomic clusters anchored on sulfur-doped carbon. This dual-active-site architecture enables independent optimization of active hydrogen (H) formation and subsequent recombination kinetics, thus breaking the limitation of Sabatier principle. Specially, by introducing a secondary transition metal such as Mn, the interfacial charge distribution and work function of Pt clusters is regulated, promoting both H formation and migration. Meanwhile, the neighboring electron-deficient Pt single atoms facilitate H recombination kinetics. The catalyst with 3.6 wt% Pt loading achieves a recorded mass activity of 14.48 A mgat 15 mV, exceeding commercial 40wt% Pt/C by 41-fold. When integrated into an electrolyzer, the catalyst demonstrates exceptional activity and stability with only 10% Pt loading relative to commercial benchmark, representing a critical advancement toward practical green hydrogen production. Also, the direct evidences of H formation, migration and recombination process are confirmed by operando experiments and theoretical calculations for the first time, which offers new concept for decoupling of HER reaction and rational design of catalysts. -1

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Constructing Hydrogen Migration Channel from Atomic Clusters to Single Atom for Superior Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution with Ultralow Pt Loading

Abstract

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