Cage-Confinement Pyrolysis Route to Ultrasmall Tungsten Carbide Nanoparticles for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

The size-controlled synthesis of ultrasmall metal-based catalysts is of vital importance for chemical conversion technologies. Here, a cage-confinement pyrolysis strategy is presented for the synthesis of ultrasmall tungsten carbide nanoclusters/nanoparticles. An RHO type zeolitic metal azolate framework MAF-6, possessing large nanocages and small apertures, is selected to confine the metal source W(CO)₆. High temperature pyrolysis gives tungsten carbide nanoclusters/nanoparticles with sizes ca. 2 nm, which can serve as an excellent electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction. In 0.5 M H₂SO₄, it exhibits very low overpotential of 51 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 and Tafel slope of 49 mV per decade, as well as the highest exchange current density of 2.4 mA cm^-2 among all tungsten/molybdenum-based catalysts. Moreover, it also shows excellent stability and antiaggregation behavior after long-term electrolytic process.