Plasmonically Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution on Anisotropic AuPt Nanowires with Submonolayer Pt Surface Coverage

Abdelsalam, IbrahiM, Wang, Shiqi, Santos, Hugo L. S., Kitching, Ella, Pakala, Pranava, Chundak, Mykhailo, Ritala, Mikko, Haigh, Sarah J., Slater, Thomas J. A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0372-1551 and Camargo, Pedro H. C. 2025. Plasmonically Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution on Anisotropic AuPt Nanowires with Submonolayer Pt Surface Coverage. Small , e10990. 10.1002/smll.202510990

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Abstract

The rational design of electrocatalysts that efficiently harness plasmonic excitation for electrocatalytic hydrogen production from water remains challenging. Here, guided by density functional theory (DFT) predictions, anisotropic AuPt nanowires are systematically synthesized with precise monolayer and submonolayer Pt surface coverage on Au nanowire templates. Under visible‐light‐driven plasmonic excitation, these catalysts exhibited high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, achieving mass activities up to 9.3 A mg−1Pt at −0.05 V vs RHE, representing a ≈7‐fold enhancement over commercial Pt/C catalysts and surpassing spherical AuPt nanoparticles. Detailed electron microscopy, spectroscopy, and electrochemical analyses indicated that the submonolayer Pt coverage provided more isolated catalytic sites, optimal electronic coupling, and preserved plasmonic properties. DFT calculations reveal pronounced electronic redistribution at Au–Pt interfaces, raise Pt d‐band centers, and ideal Gibbs free energies for hydrogen adsorption. This synergistic combination of catalytic and plasmonic properties represents a promising strategy to substantially reduce precious metal usage without compromising catalytic performance, offering a robust framework for designing electrocatalysts for renewable energy conversion.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry Research Institutes & Centres > Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI)
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	1613-6810
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	5 November 2025
Last Modified:	05 Nov 2025 09:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/182133

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