Abstract
•TNT/LaFeO3 nanocomposite shows a superior catalytic activity.•Adding TNT to the perovskite catalyst increases the reaction rate.•The enhanced activity arises from direct electron pathway of TNT and active sites in LaFeO3.•The improved reducing ability is developed at the pn-junction at TNT- LaFeO3 interfaces.
Electrochemical water splitting has been regarded as one of the most promising technologies for efficient and clean hydrogen production. The development of superior electrocatalysts, based on hybrid materials, plays a critical role in the future. In this work, TNT/LaFeO3 composite is designed as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen production in an aqueous acidic solution. The morphology and structure of the individual TNT and LaFeO3 catalysts are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrocatalytic activities of TNT, LaFeO3 and TNT/ LaFeO3 composite for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.1 mol.L-1 H2SO4 solution are studied by potentiodynamic polarization. TNT/LaFeO3 composite shows a superior electrocatalytic activity as compared to those of individual components. Two aspects can contribute to this performance, first, the nano porous structure of TNT and LaFeO3; and the second is the pn-junction developed at TNT-LaFeO3 interface, which is responsible for the enhanced reducing performance of the composite catalyst.