Issue 4, 2022

Layered 2D PtX2 (X = S, Se, Te) for the electrocatalytic HER in comparison with Mo/WX2 and Pt/C: are we missing the bigger picture?

Abstract

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is best catalyzed by metallic Pt with the lowest overpotential, Tafel slope, and highest exchange current density. But its scarcity made us look for abundant alternatives which come at the price of poor activity and stability. Hence, all non-Pt HER electrocatalysts are compared with Pt (often Pt/C). In such cases, a closer activity to that of Pt is usually appreciated for non-Pt materials. In contrast, when an HER electrocatalyst is made of Pt, it is expected to surpass the activity of Pt/C as it has the same Pt. A familiar example of this kind is the dilution of Pt without any compromise in activity. The recently evolved layered dichalcogenides of Pt (PtX2) do not satisfy this expectation as they not only perform poorer than Pt/C but also against other familiar MX2 HER electrocatalysts such as MoX2 and WX2. However, the studies that engaged in the evaluation of the HER activity of PtX2 were quite useful in deducing the structure–activity relationship and mechanism which are clearly inevitable pieces of knowledge needed in all kinds of electrocatalysis. Though PtX2 are poorer HER catalysts in their pristine form, structural engineering and other activation methods made them as active as Pt/C while a few were better than Pt/C. This perspective is dedicated to presenting the recent progress in the area of the PtX2 catalyzed HER in comparison with MoX2 and WX2 while highlighting the opportunities and challenges. Particularly, how we are missing the bigger picture in designing a Pt-based HER electrocatalyst and the ways in which poorly active PtX2 can be made into a superior one to Pt/C are critically discussed.

Graphical abstract: Layered 2D PtX2 (X = S, Se, Te) for the electrocatalytic HER in comparison with Mo/WX2 and Pt/C: are we missing the bigger picture?

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
10 nov. 2021
Accepted
07 mar. 2022
First published
07 mar. 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Energy Environ. Sci., 2022,15, 1461-1478

Layered 2D PtX2 (X = S, Se, Te) for the electrocatalytic HER in comparison with Mo/WX2 and Pt/C: are we missing the bigger picture?

S. Anantharaj and S. Noda, Energy Environ. Sci., 2022, 15, 1461 DOI: 10.1039/D1EE03516A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements