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Abstract The optimization of metal‐support interactions is used to fabricate noble metal‐based nanoclusters with high activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acid media. Specifically, the oxygen‐defective Mn 3 O 4 nanosheets supported Pt nanoclusters of ≈1.71 nm in diameter (Pt/V·‐Mn 3 O 4 NSs) are synthesized through the controlled solvothermal reaction. The Pt/V·‐Mn 3 O 4 NSs show a superior activity and excellent stability for the HER in the acidic media. They only require an overpotential of 19 mV to drive −10 mA cm −2 and show negligible activity loss at −10 and −250 mA cm −2 for >200 and >60 h, respectively. Their Pt mass activity is 12.4 times higher than that of the Pt/C and even higher than those of many single‐atom based Pt catalysts. DFT calculations show that their high HER activity arises mainly from the strong metal‐support interaction between Pt and Mn 3 O 4 . It can facilitate the charge transfer from Mn 3 O 4 to Pt, optimizing the H adsorption on the catalyst surface and promoting the evolution of H 2 through the Volmer–Tafel mechanism. The oxygen vacancies in the V·‐Mn 3 O 4 NSs are found to be inconducive to the high activity of the Pt/V·‐Mn 3 O 4 NSs, highlighting the great importance to reduce the vacancy levels in V·‐Mn 3 O 4 NSs.
Hu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.