Acidic Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis at High-Entropy Alloys Correlates with its Composition-Dependent Potential of Zero Charge

Abstract

The vast possibilities in the elemental combinations of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) make it essential to discover activity descriptors for establishing rational electrocatalyst design principles. Despite the increasing attention on the potential of zero charge (PZC) of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst, neither the PZC of HEAs nor the impact of the PZC on the HER activity at HEAs has been described. Here, we use scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) to determine the PZC and the HER activities of various elemental compositions of a Pt−Pd−Ru−Ir−Ag thin-film HEA materials library (HEA-ML) with high statistical reliability. Interestingly, the PZC of Pt−Pd−Ru−Ir−Ag is linearly correlated with its composition-weighted average work function. The HER current density in acidic media positively correlates with the PZC, which can be explained by the preconcentration of H+ in the electrical double layer at potentials negative of the PZC.