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Electrocatalytic water splitting is a sustainable and ecologically friendly process to produce hydrogen (H 2 ). However, the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) typically requires a high overpotential due to its slow kinetics. On the other hand, electrocatalytic reduction of acetonitrile (ARR) offers a more energy-efficient technique with the added benefit of producing secondary and tertiary amines with added value. A bimetallic Ag/Zn–Ta 2 C MXene composite was developed in this work as a durable and efficient electrocatalyst for both the HER and ARR in mild conditions. In two distinct environments, the composite showed outstanding catalytic performance: alkaline (1 M KOH) for the ARR and acidic (0.5 M H 2 SO 4 ) for the HER. A current density of 10 mA/cm 2 was attained by the modified MXene electrode for HER at an overpotential of only 83 mV vs. RHE and for ARR at −0.23 V vs. RHE. Notably, the hybrid catalyst remained robust under both reaction conditions and maintained high activity for 24 h of continuous operation. The improved exposure of active sites and the mitigation of issues such as mixed valence states and particle aggregation are the reasons for the bimetallic MXene’s superior performance over its monometallic counterparts. These results demonstrate the potential of Ag/Zn–Ta 2 C MXene as a bifunctional catalyst, providing an economical and environmentally friendly substitute for materials based on noble metals for energy-efficient electrocatalysis.
Vijayaprabhakaran et al. (Mon,) studied this question.