High performance SACs for HER process using late first-row transition metals anchored on graphyne support: A DFT insight

For ever-growing demand of clean and renewable energy resources, finding a low-cost, earth abundant, and an efficient electrocatalyst to replace platinum-based catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has drawn the interest of scientific community. In present work, first-row transition metal single atom catalysts supported on graphyne surface have been designed and investigated using density functional theory approach. The results indicate that among all considered systems, the highest thermodynamic stability and best HER catalytic performance is computed for Ni single atom catalyst (SAC) anchored on graphyne support with low ΔGH∗ value of 0.08 eV. We have calculated density of states, energies of HOMO, LUMO and HOMO-LUMO gap for our designed single atom catalysts as well as hydrogen adsorption. Our results indicate that Ni anchored on graphyne support can be a promising candidate for noble metal free, earth abundant, and low cost electrocatalyst to efficiently catalyze hydrogen evolution reaction process.