Mesoporous RhTe nanowires towards all-pH-value hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis

The development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for sustainable production of hydrogen, while it is still a tremendous challenge. In this study, we demonstrate a dual-template approach to constructing one-dimensional mesoporous RhTe nanowires (m-RhTe NWs) as a pH-universal HER electrocatalyst. Benefiting from abundant active sites, reduced hydrogen binding energy on Rh, and improved charge delivery capacities, the m-RhTe NWs exhibit excellent HER activities compared with commercial Pt/C, which requires an overpotential of 28, 29, and 49 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2SO4, 1.0 M KOH, and 1.0 M phosphate-buffered saline, respectively, as well as benign stability. Meanwhile, the Faradic efficiency of as-developed m-RhTe NWs is 97% for H2 production in a full pH range. The present work could provide a material design for the development of 1D Rh-based materials with advanced performance in the HER and other energy catalysis.