Robust Ti─N Interface in MXene‐C <sub>2</sub> N Heterostructures for Ultra‐Durable Acidic Hydrogen Evolution

ABSTRACT Durable, cost‐effective hydrogen evolution in acidic media requires electrocatalysts that can rival platinum in catalytic activity and stability. We report atomically engineered Ti 3 C 2 T x @C 2 N heterostructure exploiting robust Ti–N interfacial bonding and electronic coupling to deliver platinum‐like performance without noble metals. The hybrid catalyst exhibits ultralow overpotential of 42 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and Tafel slope of 36 mV dec −1 , approaching commercial Pt/C benchmarks. More importantly, it maintains stable operation over 550 h at 100 mA cm −2 in corrosive acidic medium, far surpassing Pt/C. Structural analyses and density functional theory reveal that Ti─N interface optimizes hydrogen adsorption free energy and lowers the kinetic barrier for O─H bond cleavage, while the porous C 2 N scaffold enhances charge transport and active site accessibility. This synergistic structural and electronic design establishes a generalizable strategy for robust heterostructures, advancing scalable platinum‐free electrocatalysts for next‐generation proton exchange membrane electrolyzers and other energy conversion technologies.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-02-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202530090
Primary Topic
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Robust Ti─N Interface in MXene‐C 2 N Heterostructures for Ultra‐Durable Acidic Hydrogen Evolution

Jayaraman Balamurugan, Pilnam Kim, Manmatha Mahato, Sujin Cha et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
article

Robust Ti─N Interface in MXene‐C 2 N Heterostructures for Ultra‐Durable Acidic Hydrogen Evolution

Jayaraman Balamurugan, Pilnam Kim, Manmatha Mahato, Sujin Cha, Geetha Valurouthu, Hyunjoon Yoo, Habib Ullah, Mousumi Garai, Jawon Ha, Il‐Kwon Oh, Yury Gogotsi, Akash Deo, Zakir Ullah
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Durable, cost‐effective hydrogen evolution in acidic media requires electrocatalysts that can rival platinum in catalytic activity and stability. We report atomically engineered Ti 3 C 2 T x @C 2 N heterostructure exploiting robust Ti–N interfacial bonding and electronic coupling to deliver platinum‐like performance without noble metals. The hybrid catalyst exhibits ultralow overpotential of 42 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and Tafel slope of 36 mV dec −1 , approaching commercial Pt/C benchmarks. More importantly, it maintains stable operation over 550 h at 100 mA cm −2 in corrosive acidic medium, far surpassing Pt/C. Structural analyses and density functional theory reveal that Ti─N interface optimizes hydrogen adsorption free energy and lowers the kinetic barrier for O─H bond cleavage, while the porous C 2 N scaffold enhances charge transport and active site accessibility. This synergistic structural and electronic design establishes a generalizable strategy for robust heterostructures, advancing scalable platinum‐free electrocatalysts for next‐generation proton exchange membrane electrolyzers and other energy conversion technologies.

Advanced Functional Materials
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KR), University of Exeter (GB), Creative Research (GB), Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ES), Drexel University (US)
National Research Foundation, National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 60%
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
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