Tailoring rapid thermal synthesis of Pt-based alloy nanoparticles on carbon support for hydrogen evolution reaction

The controlled integration of multiple immiscible elements into Pt alloy nanoparticles (NPs) to develop novel electrocatalysts presents significant potential for advancing sustainable energy technologies. In this study, we use a simple method for mixing diverse metal elements from their precursor salt solutions to form alloy NPs. The synthesis was carried out by subjecting a mixture of precursor metal salts supported on carbon paper (CP) to thermal shock, rapidly increasing the temperature to ∼ 1600 K. By modulating the types and numbers of metal elements, we synthesized multicomponent metal NPs with tailored chemical compositions and sizes. To validate the practical application of this catalyst, we evaluated its hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity during water splitting under acidic conditions. The synthesized CP-PtNiRu electrocatalyst demonstrates an overpotential of 30.5 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm 2 , comparable to that of commercial Pt/C electrodes, significantly enhancing the utilization efficiency of Pt-based electrocatalysts. • Cost-effective synthesis of Pt-based alloy nanoparticles on carbon substrate by Joule heating. • Highest HER activity of CP-PtNiRu alloy with a low η 10 of 30.5 mV in acid medium. • Future perspectives by selection of alloy nanoparticle-carbon matrix composite.