Crystallinity Effect of NiFe LDH on the Growth of Pt Nanoparticles and Hydrogen Evolution Performance

NiFe layered double hydroxides (LDHs) usually exhibit high water-dissociation ability in the alkaline media and also provide an ideal substrate for anchoring noble metals, such as platinum (Pt), due to the 2D microstructure. Appropriate regulation of the interaction between Pt and substrate could enhance the intrinsic activity of composite catalysts toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the alkaline media. Herein, we electrodeposit Pt nanoparticles on amorphous NiFe LDH (Pt/NiFe-ED) or crystalline NiFe LDH (Pt/NiFe-HD) to regulate the interaction between Pt and NiFe LDH. Experimental results reveal that Pt nanoparticles on NiFe-ED are smaller than those on NiFe-HD and possess a narrower size distribution. Thus, Pt/NiFe-ED (300 μM) exhibits a much lower overpotential of 81 mV at 100 mA cm–2 than Pt/NiFe-HD. In contrast, Pt/NiFe-HD exhibits a higher intrinsic activity than Pt/NiFe-ED, which could be caused by the easily elongated Pt–O bond. These findings provide new opportunities to understand the relationship between activity and crystallinity of substrates in the composite electrocatalyst.