Ultralow Platinum Content in Defect-Rich Tungsten Disulfide: Approaching Platinum Performance in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers

Tungsten disulfide in its metallic 1T phase is a stable and efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction. However, stabilizing the 1T phase while maintaining high conductivity and catalytic activity is challenging. Here, we addressed these issues by producing few-layered WS₂ with an expanded interlayer distance of ∼10 Å, followed by the incorporation of foreign metals such as Ni, Co, or Pt. These dopants allow tuning of the 1T/2H phase ratio and limit the production of oxidized species such as WOx and SOx. In particular, the addition of only 0.3 at% of Pt leads to a preferential formation (∼70%) of the 1T-WS₂ phase. Despite the ultralow Pt content, Pt-WS₂ exhibited a 41% reduction in the overpotential required to reach -10 mA cm⁻², a 78% decrease in charge transfer resistance, and a 14-fold increase in active surface area compared to pristine WS₂. The excellent catalytic activity of Pt-WS₂ is attributed to the presence of the 1T phase with a higher density of active sites, enhanced conductivity, and stronger hydrogen interaction, all facilitated by the presence of Pt. In addition, Pt-WS₂ shows great performance when used as a cathode in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers, achieving a current density of 1.75 A cm⁻² at 2.1 V, 270% larger than that of pristine WS₂.