Kai's work is accepted for publication by Nature Communications (IF: 17.694). This work is a result of collaborations with ShanghaiTech University and Soochow University. Congratulations!

Title: Coherent hexagonal platinum skin on nickel nanocrystals for enhanced hydrogen evolution activity

Authors: K. Liu,# H. Yang,# Y. Jiang,# Z. Liu, S. Zhang, Z. Zhang, Z. Qiao, Y. Lu, T. Cheng,* O. Terasaki, Q. Zhang,* and C. Gao*

Link to the Publisher: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-38018-2

交大新闻：http://news.xjtu.edu.cn/info/1033/195663.htm

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高传博/程涛/张青最新Nature子刊：电催化HER，突破介稳态设计局限！ (qq.com)

Nat. Commun.：镍纳米晶上的六方Pt-skin增强HER (qq.com)

高传博、程涛、张青，NC：亚稳六方相镍-铂核壳结构实现高效电解水析氢 (qq.com)

微信公众平台 (qq.com)

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/lAVAYYtXqQE0fxLmK0flHg

Abstract: Metastable noble metal nanocrystals may exhibit distinctive catalytic properties to address the sluggish kinetics of many important processes, including the hydrogen evolution reaction under alkaline conditions for water-electrolysis hydrogen production. However, the exploration of metastable noble metal nanocrystals is still in its infancy and suffers from a lack of sufficient synthesis and electronic engineering strategies to fully stimulate their potential in catalysis. In this paper, we report a synthesis of metastable hexagonal Pt nanostructures by coherent growth on 3d transition metal nanocrystals such as Ni without involving galvanic replacement reaction, which expands the frontier of the phase-replication synthesis. Unlike noble metal substrates, the 3d transition metal substrate owns more crystal phases and lower cost and endows the hexagonal Pt skin with substantial compressive strains and programmable charge density, making the electronic properties particularly preferred for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction. The energy barriers are greatly reduced, pushing the activity to 133 mA cm_geo^–2 and 17.4 mA μg_Pt^–1 at –70 mV with 1.5 µg of Pt in 1 M KOH. Our strategy paves the way for metastable noble metal catalysts with tailored electronic properties for highly efficient and cost-effective energy conversion.

电解水制氢是绿氢制备的重要手段，是解决能源与环境问题、实现“双碳”目标的重要途径。铂是碱性条件下电解水阴极析氢反应的最有效催化剂，但是仍表现出较大的过电势，在大规模制氢中具有较高的电能损耗。长期以来，铂催化剂的研究主要集中在稳定立方相纳米材料。虽然亚稳相贵金属纳米材料具有独特的催化性质，该类材料的研究仍处于初级阶段，缺乏足够的合成和电子调控策略以充分激发该类材料的催化潜力。

为此，西安交大高传博教授团队提出以非贵金属镍为模板合成亚稳相铂基纳米催化材料。通过采用油胺与铂盐的配位反应，有效抑制了铂盐与镍纳米材料之间的置换反应，实现了亚稳六方相铂在镍非（0001）晶面上的可控形成和精准的厚度调控。镍模板不仅降低了催化剂的成本，还通过核壳间应力和电子转移效应，有效调变了亚稳六方相铂壳的电子结构。基于以上策略，实现了高效的碱性电解水析氢动力学，其在–70 mV过电势下的催化活性达到17.4 mA μg_Pt^–1，是迄今报道的最高水平。这项研究为金属纳米材料的晶相和电子结构调控提供了新途径，对电解水制氢等能源催化过程关键催化剂的开发具有指导意义。

上述成果以《镍纳米晶外延生长合成亚稳六方相铂纳米壳层实现高效析氢》（Coherent hexagonal platinum skin on nickel nanocrystals for enhanced hydrogen evolution activity）为题发表于《自然·通讯》（Nature Communications）。前沿院助理教授刘凯、苏州大学讲师杨昊和上海科技大学工程师蒋亦岚为该工作共同第一作者。西安交通大学为该工作的第一完成单位。

这项工作得到了国家自然科学基金、陕西省重点研发计划和陕西省基础研究计划等项目的资助，并得到西安交通大学分析测试共享中心的支持。