Earth-Abundant W18O49 Coupled with Minimal Pt for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution under Dark and Visible Light Conditions

The development of cost-effective and efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical to advancing green hydrogen production technologies. Here, we present a plasmonic tungsten oxide (W18O49) material integrated with ultralow platinum (Pt) loadings (0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 wt %) that delivers high HER performances under both dark and visible light conditions. The 0.4 wt % Pt–W18O49 catalyst exhibits remarkable mass activity, outperforming commercial Pt/C by factors of 15 and 30 under dark and 740 nm LED illumination, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the synergy between Pt and plasmonically active W18O49 optimizes charge transfer and hydrogen adsorption, resulting in lowered energy barriers for HER kinetics. Furthermore, plasmonic excitation of W18O49 enhances catalytic activity by facilitating electron transfer. This work introduces a scalable, cost-effective strategy for combining earth-abundant plasmonic materials with minimal Pt usage, providing a pathway toward high-efficiency HER catalysts. These findings highlight the potential of plasmonic-catalyst integration in green hydrogen technologies.