We herein construct the Ce-O-Ti interface bridge in the CeOx/N-Ti3C2Ty heterojunction through an ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal route as an efficient Pt-free hydrogen evolution electrocatalyst. The synergistic contribution of the heterogeneous Ce-O-Ti bridge and oxygen vacancies boosts the water dissociation and thus drastically reduces energy barriers of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The optimal CeOx/N-Ti3C2Ty material requires only a small overpotential (51.12 mVRHE at 10 mA cm-2) and has a low Tafel slope (51.87 mV dec-1) and long-term stability with negligible changes in structural and morphological properties after at least 50 h of testing.
Pham et al. (Wed,) studied this question.