Subnanometer high-entropy alloy nanowires enable remarkable hydrogen oxidation catalysis

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have attracted increasing attention in diverse field. Here, the authors report PtRuNiCoFeMo HEA with enhanced activity, stability and preferable CO anti-poisoning in alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction. High-entropy alloys (HEAs) with unique physicochemical properties have attracted tremendous attention in many fields, yet the precise control on dimension and morphology at atomic level remains formidable challenges. Herein, we synthesize unique PtRuNiCoFeMo HEA subnanometer nanowires (SNWs) for alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). The mass and specific activities of HEA SNWs/C reach 6.75 A mg(Pt+Ru)(-1) and 8.96 mA cm(-2), respectively, which are 2.8/2.6, 4.1/2.4, and 19.8/18.7 times higher than those of HEA NPs/C, commercial PtRu/C and Pt/C, respectively. It can even display enhanced resistance to CO poisoning during HOR in the presence of 1000 ppm CO. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the strong interactions between different metal sites in HEA SNWs can greatly regulate the binding strength of proton and hydroxyl, and therefore enhances the HOR activity. This work not only provides a viable synthetic route for the fabrication of Pt-based HEA subnano/nano materials, but also promotes the fundamental researches on catalysis and beyond.

Automated summary

HEAs have shown superior performance in alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction, exhibiting high activity and CO poisoning resistance. Density functional theory calculations reveal the unique advantages of HEAs. This study not only provides a method for preparing Pt-based HEA subnano/nano materials, but also promotes fundamental research in catalysis and other fields.