Novel Pt-carbon core–shell decorated hierarchical CoMo₂S₄ as efficient electrocatalysts for alkaline/seawater hydrogen evolution reaction

Electrochemical water electrolysis is a prominent method of green-hydrogen fuel production. Tailored nanostructures of Pt-based electrocatalysts have high priority in hydrogen production. Herein, we fabricated carbon-encapsulated Pt core–shell supported CoMo₂S₄-NGNF as an efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The novel carbon-encapsulated Pt core shells improved the long-term durability. The Pt@CoMo₂S₄-NGNF hybrids displayed overpotentials of 27 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² in 1.0 M KOH and outstanding durability of 100 h. When Pt@CoMo₂S₄-NGNF∥IrO₂ was employed in overall seawater electrolysis applications, it required 1.54 V to achieve a 10 mA cm⁻² current density. Additionally, we evaluated the electronic structure and HER mechanism of Pt@CoMo₂S₄ & CoMo₂S₄ using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work illustrates the possibility of designing an effective, long-lasting, and scalable electrocatalyst for the electrolysis of alkaline and seawater to produce pure hydrogen.