Metal/Oxide Interface Nanostructures Generated bySurface Segregation for Electrocatalysis.

Strong metal/oxide interactions havebeen acknowledged to play prominent roles in chemical catalysis inthe gas phase, but remain as an unexplored area in electrocatalysisin the liquid phase. Utilization of metal/oxide interface structurescould generate high performance electrocatalysts for clean energystorage and conversion. However, building highly dispersed nanoscalemetal/oxide interfaces on conductive scaffolds remains a significantchallenge. Here, we report a novel strategy to create metal/oxideinterface nanostructures by growing mixed metal oxide nanoparticleson carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and then selectively promoting migrationof one of the metal ions to the surface of the oxide nanoparticlesand simultaneous reduction to metal. Employing this strategy, we havesynthesized Ni/CeO2nanointerfaces coupled with CNTs. TheNi/CeO2interface promotes hydrogen evolution catalysisby facilitating water dissociation and modifying the hydrogen bindingenergy. The Ni/CeO2–CNT hybrid material exhibitssuperior activity for hydrogen evolution as a result of synergisticeffects including strong metal/oxide interactions, inorganic/carboncoupling, and particle size control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]