The role of copper in the synthesis of platinum based catalysts and in their efficiency for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Mihai, Geanina (author), Anicai, Liana (author), Enache, Laura-Bianca (author), Lazar, Oana (author), Enachescu, Marius (author), Genorio, Boštjan (author), Dimiev, Ayrat M. (author)

In this work, we synthesized two hybrid copper–platinum composites and two mono-metallic control samples on the carbon black (CB) support with the use of the polyol-formaldehyde method. The bi-metallic composites were prepared by the two different experimental protocols: consecutive deposition of the two metals CB/CuPt-1 and co-deposition of CB/CuPt-2. With both methods, the use of copper facilitates deposition of platinum, leading to a higher platinum content in the products, compared to the mono-metallic CB/Pt control sample. SEM and HRTEM images show that, in monometallic CB/Cu, copper does not form any nanoparticles, being atomically dispersed on the CB surface. The other three samples have uniformly dispersed nanoparticles with a size of 2–4 nm, densely covering the CB support. XRD and XPS data suggest that copper facilitates more efficient reduction of platinum, and is incorporated into the nanoparticles. Next, all the synthesized composites were tested for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The two bi-metallic composites outperform not only the mono-metallic CB/Pt sample, but also the commercial catalyst with a similar or an even higher platinum content. Interestingly, the catalytic efficiency is not directly related to the platinum content in the tested materials. As a result, CB/CuPt-2, which has a lower Pt content, demonstrates greater efficiency in certain parameters compared to CB/PtCu-1, which contains a higher Pt content. This observation suggests that incorporation of copper into the structure of the composite materials leads to synergistic effects. Our results show the role of copper in the efficiency of the platinum catalysts for the HER and open routes for increasing the efficiency of the hydrogen generation reaction on an industrial scale.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Pt-Cu-electrocatalyst, hydrogen evolution reaction, reduced graphene oxide, electrocatalysis
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 7459-7468
• Numbering: Vol. 49, iss. 18
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-171250
• UDC: 621.35:621.96
• ISSN on article: 1369-9261
• DOI: 10.1039/D5NJ00667H
• COBISS.SI-ID: 233098243
• Publication date in RUL: 21.08.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: New journal of chemistry
• Shortened title: New j. chem.
• Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
• ISSN: 1369-9261
• COBISS.SI-ID: 22573573

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 3.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
• Description: You are free to reproduce and redistribute the material in any medium or format. You are free to remix, transform, and build upon the material. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Pt-Cu-elektrokatalizator, reakcija razvijanja vodika, reduciran grafen oksid, elektrokataliza

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: N. 760087
• Name: Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan PNRR/2022/C9/MCID/I8