Platinum Nanoparticle-Deposited Ti₃C₂T_x MXene for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Nobel metal Pt composites show high catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) but limited in application by high Pt contents and therefore the cost. Herein, a series of Pt nanoparticle (NP)-deposited 2D Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes were prepared by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method with relatively low Pt contents (0.98-3.10 wt %) and showed excellent HER catalytic activity and stability. The electrochemical results indicated that the prepared catalysts showed the optimal HER activity as the ALD deposition cycle reached 40, with an overpotential of 67.8 mV approaching that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst (64.2 mV). The excellent behavior was attributed to the homogeneous dispersion of the Pt NPs and the good conductivity of the 2D Ti₃C₂T_x MXene supports.