Developing a low-cost and durable non-noble metal eletrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical in efficient hydrogen production. Herein, tungsten carbide nanoplates (WC NPs) with typical mesoporous structure were prepared by a controlled hydrothermal reaction followed by a gas-solid carburization process. The crystal phases, microstructure and chemical components of the nanoplates were characterized, and their electrochemical properties were measured. The results show that the as-prepared WC NPs expose active sites upmost, and exhibit enhanced conductivity and superior HER performance in acid solution in terms of a small η ₁₀ (overpotential to obtain a current density of 10 mA cm⁻²) of 120 mV, a Tafel slope of 58 mV dec⁻¹ and outstanding long-term cycling stability. These indicate that the HER properties of WC NPs are dramatically enhanced compared to that of all phase pure WC materials reported in recent years. This enhancement can be attributed to their unique structural and electronic properties, which can be exploited to improve the electrochemical properties of traditional non-noble metal material.

开发用于析氢反应 (HER) 的低成本且耐用的非贵金属电催化剂对于高效制氢至关重要。在此，具有典型介孔结构的碳化钨纳米板（WC NPs）是通过受控水热反应和气固渗碳工艺制备的。表征了纳米片的晶相、微观结构和化学成分，并测量了它们的电化学性能。结果表明，所制备的 WC NPs 将活性位点暴露在最上方，并且在酸性溶液中表现出增强的导电性和优异的 HER 性能，即 120 mV的小η ₁₀（获得 10 mA cm ^-2的电流密度的过电位） , 58 mV dec ^-1的塔菲尔斜率以及出色的长期循环稳定性。这些表明，与近年来报道的全相纯 WC 材料相比，WC NPs 的 HER 性能显着增强。这种增强可归因于其独特的结构和电子特性，可用于改善传统非贵金属材料的电化学性能。