Pulse laser-assisted synthesis of self-supported Pt–NiO/NF electrocatalysts with enhanced HER activity in alkaline AEM water electrolyzers

We developed a scalable, innovative pulse laser-assisted hybrid method that combines laser-induced hydrothermal synthesis with laser ablation to fabricate ultra-low Pt-based (Pt–NiO/NF) electrocatalysts for the HER. This method provides the microenvironment at the solid-liquid interface, where in situ Pt metal ion reduction occurs with the generation/redeposition of Ni ions due to Ni surface ablation under a laser beam. The optimized Pt–NiO/NF electrocatalyst requires only 20 mV overpotential to initiate HER and needs 64 mV overpotentials to reach a current density of 20 mA cm−2, with nearly 100% Faradaic efficiency. Moreover, NiFe-oxide/NF nanostructured electrode was also synthesized using the same laser method (as an anode), integrated with Pt–NiO/NF (as a cathode) in a zero-gap single-cell AEMWE operating at room temperature, delivering 2A at 2.12 V in a 12 cm2 complete cell, producing 37.21 mmol/h of H₂ gas, contributing to a cost-effective hydrogen production of US$2.35 per kg of H₂.