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A Novel Multinary Intermetallic as an Active Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution |
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| Authors: | Zhe Jia Tao Yang Ligang Sun Yilu Zhao Wanpeng Li Junhua Luan Fucong Lyu Lai-Chang Zhang Jamie J. Kruzic Ji-Jung Kai Jacob C. Huang Jian Lu Chain Tsuan Liu |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052 Australia;2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China;3. School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055 China Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China;4. Department of Material Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China;5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China Department of Material Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China;6. School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027 Australia;7. School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052 Australia;8. Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China Department of Material Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China |
| Abstract: | Electrochemical water splitting offers an attractive approach for hydrogen production. However, the lack of high-performance cost-effective electrocatalyst severely hinders its applications. Here, a multinary high-entropy intermetallic (HEI) that possesses an unusual periodically ordered structure containing multiple non-noble elements is reported, which can serve as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. This HEI exhibits excellent activities in alkalinity with an overpotential of 88.2 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 40.1 mV dec−1, which are comparable to those of noble catalysts. Theoretical calculations reveal that the chemical complexity and surprising atomic configurations provide a strong synergistic function to alter the electronic structure. Furthermore, the unique L12-type ordered structure enables a specific site-isolation effect to further stabilize the H2O/H* adsorption/desorption, which dramatically optimizes the energy barrier of hydrogen evolution. Such an HEI strategy uncovers a new paradigm to develop novel electrocatalyst with superior reaction activities. |
| Keywords: | electrocatalysis high-entropy intermetallics metallurgy site isolation synergistic functions |