Controlling hydrogen evolution reaction activity on Ni core–Pt island nanoparticles by tuning the size of the Pt islands

Abstract

Pt islands with different sizes were grown on amorphous Ni nanoparticles, allowing the tuning of the Pt–Ni interface without changing the hydrogen binding energy of the Pt sites. As a result, the HER activity of the electrocatalysts increases by decreasing the size of the Pt islands due to the greater surface area of the Pt–Ni interfaces.