PtSe2 on a reduced graphene oxide foil for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Reducing energy consumption during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production is still a challenge. Among the transition metal dichalcogenide family, platinum diselenide (PtSe2) exhibits good air stability, a low band-gap, and semimetallic properties, rendering it a promising catalyst for the HER. Herein, the selenization of predeposited Pt on a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) substrate forming an 88 ± 6 nm PtSe2 thin layer results in a freestanding, efficient HER electrocatalyst yielding a competitive performance in an alkaline medium, achieving a low overpotential of 95 mV at -10 mA cm-2. Furthermore, the PtSe2/rGO foil used in a two-electrode cell configuration demonstrates good long-term stability, up to 18 hours. The performance of the PtSe2/rGO foil results from the distribution of PtSe2 over the rGO substrate, which is maintained after the electrochemical reactions as attested by Raman mapping, and complemented by scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization.