Interstitial boron-triggered electron-deficient Os aerogels for enhanced pH-universal hydrogen evolution

Abstract Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production, yet still challenging. Here, we report boron-modulated osmium (B-Os) aerogels with rich defects and ultra-fine diameter as a pH-universal HER electrocatalyst. The catalyst shows the small overpotentials of 12, 19, and 33 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm −2 in acidic, alkaline, and neutral electrolytes, respectively, as well as excellent stability, surpassing commercial Pt/C. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that interventional interstitial B atoms can optimize the electron structure of B-Os aerogels and stabilize Os as active sites in an electron-deficient…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 52071225, 11874044, 11874044 and 52071225
• SE
  Shanghai Educational Development Foundation
• MO
  Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan

  Awards: 108-2112-M-213-002-MY3, 110-2634-F-009-026, MOST 108-2112-M-213-002-MY3, MOST 108-