Highly Crystalline Pd 13 Cu 3 S 7 Nanoplates Prepared via Partial Cation Exchange of Cu 1.81 S Templates as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Chemical transformations via postsynthetic modification of colloidal nanocrystals have received great attention as a rational synthetic route to unprecedented nanostructures. In particular, the cation exchange reaction is considered as an effective method to alter the composition of the starting nanostructures while maintaining the initial structural characteristics. Herein, we report the synthesis of highly crystalline Pd 13 Cu 3 S 7 nanoplates (NPs) via partial cation exchange of the Cu 1.81 S phase by Pd cations, with Cu 1.94 S NPs and Pd 13 Cu 3 S 7 /Cu 2– x S janus heterostructure as the intermediate phases. The highly crystalline Pd 13 Cu 3 S 7 ternary NPs exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under acidic conditions. The HER activity of Pd 13 Cu 3 S 7 NPs with its overpotential as low as 64 mV at −10 mA cm –2 is superior to tho…