Atomic-Level Dispersed Pt on Vulcan Carbon Black Prepared by Electron Beam Irradiation as a Catalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Pursuing and developing elegant and general approaches for the large-scale production of atomic-level dispersed Pt catalysts are attractive for effective hydrogen production via water electrolysis. Herein, we propose an eco-friendly, cost-efficient, and scalable strategy by combining incipient wetness impregnation with electron beam irradiation to synthesize atomic-level dispersed 8 wt % Pt anchored on a carbon support. The Pt⁴⁺ ions are efficiently reduced in situ to Pt²⁺ while simultaneously inducing surface groups on the carbon support. The excellent catalytic performance for the Pt-catalyzed hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been demonstrated on the basis of electrochemical tests, kinetic analyses, and the Tafel mechanism. We clarified the influence of absorbed dose on the active site number, surface functional groups, defect levels, electronic structure, and local environment of the catalysts. At the optimal dose of 100 kGy, one can attain the utmost level of Pt²⁺ content and generate a greater abundance of oxygen-containing functional groups on the carbon support, resulting in 4.5 times higher HER activity than the commercial 20% Pt/C. This work provides a scientific paradigm to design and develop atomically dispersed precious metal catalysts for efficient and scalable electrolytic water splitting.