Highly active tungsten oxide nanoplate electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic and near neutral electrolytes

Abstract

An efficient, cost-effective, and earth-abundant catalyst that could drive the production of hydrogen from water without or with little external energy is the ultimate goal toward hydrogen economy. Herein, nanoplates of tungsten oxide and its hydrates (WO3·H2O) as promising electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are reported. The square-shaped and stacked WO3·H2O nanoplates are synthesized at room temperature under air in ethanol only, making it as a promising green synthesis strategy. The repeated electrochemical cyclic voltammetry cycles modified the surface of WO3·H2O nanoplates to WO3 as confirmed by Xray photoelectron and Auger spectroscopy, which leads to an improved HER activity. Hydrogen evolution is further achieved from distilled water (pH 5.67) producing 1 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 15 mV versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. Moreover, WO3·H2O and WO3 nanoplates demonstrate excellent durability in acidic and neutral media, which is highly desirable for practical application. Improved hydrogen evolution by WO3(200) when compared to that by PT(111) is further substantiated by the density functional theory calculations.