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oai:figshare.com:article/34022525 2026-09-29T10:04:14Z category_1 category_4 category_16 category_24 category_873 category_39 category_734 category_61 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_09_2026

Solid-Solution Engineering of Earth-Abundant Metal Borides of Y(TM₁TM₂)B₄‑Type as Durable High-Current-Density Electrocatalysts for HER MD Ali Hossain (25136441) Lesly Delgado (25136444) Pelumi Adanigbo (23725995) Weiyi Xia (711340) Cai-Zhuang Wang (267930) Sylvie Rangan (1524469) Benish Fatima (25136447) Yun Yu (169754) Georgiy Akopov (2624464) Biophysics Biochemistry Physiology Evolutionary Biology Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Developmental Biology sustainable hydrogen production hydrogen evolution reaction analysis reveals heterogeneous 449 v overpotential achieving high activity findings establish solid controlling catalytic activity high current density 4 </ sub 75 </ sub high current electrocatalysts 25 </ sub abundant metal borides 1 </ sub high double x </ density electrocatalysts 742 v metal borides abundant transition abundant exposed enhanced activity 75 ), 1 –< parent borides metal catalysts durable high versatile platform solution transition solution engineering significantly improved retaining 92 Earth-abundant transition-metal borides are promising alternatives to noble-metal catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but achieving high activity and durability under industrially relevant operating conditions remains challenging. Herein, we develop a series of arc-melted solid-solution transition-metal borides, YCr_1–<i>x</i>Mo_<i>x</i>B₄, YCr_1–<i>x</i>W_<i>x</i>B₄, and YMo_1–<i>x</i>W_<i>x</i>B₄ (<i>x</i> = 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75), as robust HER electrocatalysts for acidic media. Through solid-solution engineering, the catalytic performance of the parent borides is significantly improved, with each composition outperforming commercial 20 wt % Pt/C at high current density. Notably, YCr_0.25W_0.75B₄ exhibits the best overall HER performance, requiring only 0.449 V overpotential to reach 1000 mA/cm², compared with 0.742 V for 20 wt % Pt/C. The enhanced activity is further supported by a high double-layer capacitance of 54 mF/cm², reflecting increased electrochemically accessible surface area and abundant exposed HER-active sites. The catalyst also shows excellent acid stability, retaining 92% of its activity after 5000 cycles and 24 h of continuous operation. Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) analysis reveals heterogeneous, composition-dependent local HER behavior, with YMo_0.25W_0.75B₄ exhibiting the least negative onset potential, followed closely by YCr_0.25W_0.75B₄, highlighting the importance of surface composition in controlling catalytic activity. These findings establish solid-solution transition-metal borides as a versatile platform for designing inexpensive, durable, and high current electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production. 2026-09-29T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6c02150.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Solid-Solution_Engineering_of_Earth-Abundant_Metal_Borides_of_Y_TM_sub_1_sub_TM_sub_2_sub_B_sub_4_sub_Type_as_Durable_High-Current-Density_Electrocatalysts_for_HER/34022525 CC BY-NC 4.0