How the Arrangement of Platinum Atoms on Ruthenium Nanoparticles Improves Hydrogen Evolution Activity

The platinum-ruthenium (PtRu) system is highly active for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media with both Pt and Ru playing active roles in the water dissociation step that generates adsorbed hydrogen atoms. Precise control of the arrangement of Pt atoms on Ru nanoparticles can maximize the Pt-Ru sites for water dissociation and Pt-Pt sites for hydrogen production and can considerably improve HER catalytic performance. By directing the growth and distribution of Pt on Ru hourglass nanoparticles, the arrangement of Pt on Ru is controlled into forming Pt islands, small Pt clusters, and strings of a few Pt atoms. Calculations show that the unique atomic string arrangements of Pt on Ru is the thermodynamically favorable configuration. Additionally, these strings have a favorable combination of Pt-Ru and Pt-Pt sites, making the Pt-string on Ru the most active catalyst with a more than fivefold increase in turnover frequency for alkaline HER compared to the Pt-island on Ru catalyst. The results show how controlling the Pt atomic arrangement on Ru nanoparticle surfaces for the tuning of Pt-Pt and Pt-Ru neighboring sites can direct toward a more efficient HER mechanism and thereby significantly enhancing HER performance.