TY - JOUR
T1 - Optimum hydrogen binding energy at the atomic-level interfaces of Rh atoms/ultrasmall Rh nanoparticles for boosting hydrogen electrocatalysis
AU - Feng, Wuyi
AU - Fu, Jiantao
AU - Zheng, Xinye
AU - Zhu, Wei
AU - Zhuang, Zhongbin
AU - Zhao, Di
AU - Zhang, Jiatao
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025
PY - 2026/5/15
Y1 - 2026/5/15
N2 - Optimizing the intrinsic hydrogen binding energy at atomic-level interfaces is beneficial and challenging for hydrogen electrocatalysis to improve the mass activity of platinum-group metal. Here, we develop a bifunctional hydrogen electrocatalyst featuring atomically dispersed Rh-N4 sites alongside ultrasmall Rh nanoparticles (RhSA+NP/NC). For the hydroxide oxidation reaction, the mass activity (9.14 A mgRh−1) of RhSA+NP/NC is 101 times that of commercial Pt/C. For the hydrogen evolution reaction, the overpotential is merely 14 mV at an extremely low Rh loading (1.91 μg cm−2). The anion-exchange membrane fuel cell and anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer equipped with RhSA+NP/NC achieve a high peak power density (25.7 W mgRh−1) and a low cell voltage (1.77 V at 1 A cm−2), respectively. Experimental and computational results indicate that the atomic-level interface formed by Rh single atoms and nanoparticles optimizes the adsorption behavior of active species and accelerates the hydrogen conversion kinetics. This study designs cost-effective hydrogen electrocatalysts through atomic-level interface engineering, providing a feasible strategy for accelerating the realization of a sustainable hydrogen circular economy.
AB - Optimizing the intrinsic hydrogen binding energy at atomic-level interfaces is beneficial and challenging for hydrogen electrocatalysis to improve the mass activity of platinum-group metal. Here, we develop a bifunctional hydrogen electrocatalyst featuring atomically dispersed Rh-N4 sites alongside ultrasmall Rh nanoparticles (RhSA+NP/NC). For the hydroxide oxidation reaction, the mass activity (9.14 A mgRh−1) of RhSA+NP/NC is 101 times that of commercial Pt/C. For the hydrogen evolution reaction, the overpotential is merely 14 mV at an extremely low Rh loading (1.91 μg cm−2). The anion-exchange membrane fuel cell and anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer equipped with RhSA+NP/NC achieve a high peak power density (25.7 W mgRh−1) and a low cell voltage (1.77 V at 1 A cm−2), respectively. Experimental and computational results indicate that the atomic-level interface formed by Rh single atoms and nanoparticles optimizes the adsorption behavior of active species and accelerates the hydrogen conversion kinetics. This study designs cost-effective hydrogen electrocatalysts through atomic-level interface engineering, providing a feasible strategy for accelerating the realization of a sustainable hydrogen circular economy.
KW - Atomic-level interfaces
KW - Electrocatalysis
KW - Hydrogen binding energy
KW - Hydrogen evolution reaction
KW - Hydrogen oxidation reaction
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105023834619
U2 - 10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.126269
DO - 10.1016/j.apcatb.2025.126269
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105023834619
SN - 0926-3373
VL - 385
JO - Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
JF - Applied Catalysis B: Environmental
M1 - 126269
ER -