Tailoring electrocatalytic properties of Pt nanoparticles grown on Ti₃C₂T_x MXene surface

In this work, the spontaneous and NaBH₄-induced reduction of chloroplatinic acid on the surface of Ti₃C₂T_X MXene was investigated to synthesize a hybrid PtNP-decorated MXene nanomaterial (MX-Pt) with potential as hydrogen evolution (HER) or oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst properties. The initial Pt concentration, reduction time and presence of additional reducing agents were varied, and as-synthesized nanocomposites were characterized thoroughly by XRD, EDX, SEM and XPS analysis and by electrochemical methods. Composites containing 14 wt% Pt showed HER with an onset potential of −75.9 mV and a current density of −10 mA cm⁻² achieved at −226 mV. The spontaneous deposition of PtNPs on MXene improved the electrocatalytic properties over using an external reducing agent to form PtNP, which was explained based on the different rates of oxidation of Ti in the initial MXene support. Furthermore, good stability of the electrode modified by the MX-Pt was achieved without any polymeric binder and the HER reaction achieved only a negligible decrease over 3 000 potentiodynamic cycles.