The development of high-performance hydrogen fuel cells relies on highly active and stable cathode and anode electrocatalysts. For alkaline fuel cells, the kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) on platinum-based catalysts are extremely sluggish. Recent studies have indicated that a key reason for the slow alkaline HOR kinetics is the unsynchronized transfer of electrons and protons: the protons generated during the HOR on the Pt surface cannot be efficiently transported into the bulk solution, leading to a decoupling of electron and proton transfer.

Recently, studies from Dr. Yao Zhou and Prof. Jun-Tao Li’s group reported that, by anchoring a mild proton acid on a conductive carbon support, the corresponding conjugate base can undergo protonation–deprotonation repetitively, which can facilitate proton transportation away from the Pt surface during the alkaline HOR. Taking phosphate groups anchored on the carbon surface as an example, during the HOR, they can capture the proton around the Pt surface (Pt-H+ + C-PO42- → Pt + C-H2PO4), which is then rapidly neutralized by OH- in the bulk solution (C-H2PO4 + OH- → C-PO42- + H2O), thereby completing proton transfer from the Pt surface and significantly enhancing the HOR kinetics.

More details of this work, which is titled “Conjugated Base Assists Proton Stripping off Pt for Alkaline H2 Electrooxidation,” can be found in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 2025，64(32), e202513621.

The research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFA1502000), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22472142), and the Fujian Provincial Natural Science Foundation for Outstanding Young Scholars (2024J09010).

Link to the full text: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.202513621