Scalable and facile flame-assisted synthesis of electron-rich Pt clusters/Ni(OH)2 electrocatalyst for robust AEM water electrolysis

The complex synthesis and limited durability of cost-efficient heterostructure hydrogen catalysts have hindered the large-scale application of anion-exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis. Here, a facile flame-assisted method was developed to synthesize electron-rich Pt clusters supported on Ni(OH)₂ (Ni(OH)₂@Pt^δ−-NC) within 1 min, achieving a minimal Pt loading of 0.05 mg cm⁻². The synergy between vacancy-rich Ni(OH)₂ and electron-rich Pt clusters modulates intermediate adsorption-desorption processes, achieving ultralow overpotential of 9 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and outstanding long-term stability (2,400 h at 200 mA cm⁻²). Moreover, when employed as the cathode in an AEM electrolyzer, the catalyst achieves 1 A cm⁻² at 1.74 V and 5 A cm⁻² at 2.23 V. Furthermore, the flame-assisted strategy enables stable synthesis of the catalyst at a scale of 100 cm². When integrated into an industrial-grade electrolyzer stack, the catalyst maintains a high current of 160 A for 1,000 h, demonstrating enormous potential for future industrial applications.