Student Researchers: Lesly Delgado , Akash Putchakayala, Ali Hossain M.D., Rutva Joshi, Sylvie Rangan,

Georgiy Akopov

Abstract

The development of efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for sustainable hydrogen production. While platinum-based catalysts exhibit the highest activity, their high cost and limited availability limits large-scale implementation. In this study, layered ternary metal borides Y(TM)B4 (TM = Cr, Mo, W) were synthesized via arc melting and investigated as potential earth-abundant HER electrocatalysts in acidic media. Structural characterization using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) confirmed successful phase formation and uniform elemental distribution. Electrochemical performance was evaluated in a three-electrode configuration using 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte. Among the investigated materials, YWB4 exhibited the highest catalytic activity, achieving an overpotential of 557 mV at an industrially relevant current density of 1000 mA cm−2, outperforming a commercial 20% Pt/C catalyst under identical conditions. Tafel analysis revealed favorable reaction kinetics, with YWB4 displaying the lowest Tafel slope among the series. Stability testing demonstrated that YWB4 retained approximately 95% of its catalytic activity after 5000 cycles (~25 hours), indicating excellent durability under acidic conditions. Future work will focus on Group 6 metal solid solutions (Mo/W) within the Y(TM)B4 framework to tune electronic structure and further enhance catalytic performance.