journal article·2026-01Open access

Facile Tri‐Metallic Catalyst Fabrication Using the Dynamic Hydrogen Bubble Template method

Carlos M. S. Lobo, Bruna F. Gomes, Lu Xia, Wulyu Jiang, Tengyu Chen, Kaiqi Zhao, Laís G. Vernasqui, Hannah Kammal, Eric Liesz, Jonas Prietz, F. Pelayo García de Arquer, Christina Roth

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 36· Issue 1

Abstract

Abstract Electrocatalysts play a fundamental role in enabling and enhancing the efficiency of a variety of energy‐transition‐relevant reactions (e.g. water electrolysis, fuel cells, and CO 2 conversion to value‐added products). Multi‐elemental electrocatalysts are particularly attractive because they often outperform their mono‐ or bi‐metallic counterparts. However, the design and fabrication of such catalysts with high surface area remains challenging due to limitations in synthetic control and compositional complexity. Here, the Dynamic Hydrogen Bubble Template (DHBT) method is used—a facile approach to fabricate freestanding, binder‐free metallic foams with hierarchical porosity—to synthesize Ni‐based mono‐, bi‐, and tri‐metallic electrocatalysts. The materials are subsequently annealed and evaluated for two model reactions: oxygen evolution and glucose oxidation. Annealing enhances both crystallinity and electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), likely due to Mn surface segregation and nanocrystallization at grain boundaries. Among the compositions, NiMn exhibits the highest post‐anneali mass‐normalized ECSA (36 m 2 ), although this does not translate into improved catalytic activity. In contrast, NiMn and NiMnFe achieve the highest mass‐specific activities, followed by NiFeMo. Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis tests (AEMWE) showed that NiMnFe achieved over 3.4 A cm −2 at 2.0 V in alkaline conditions. This study demonstrates that DHBT is a viable and versatile method for fabricating multimetallic electrocatalysts with tunable porosity and composition, enabling the controlled synthesis of porous multi‐metallic structures and offering a promising route toward high‐entropy alloy formation through electrolyte composition tuning and annealing procedures.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Catalytic Processes in Materials Science · Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Catalysis and Hydrodesulfurization Studies

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Chair of Electrochemical Process Engineering Faculty of Engineering University of Bayreuth 95447 Bayreuth Germany

Institut de Ciències Fotòniques The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology Castelldefels 08860 Barcelona Spain

National Institute for Space Research ‐ INPE São José dos Campos 12227‐010 Brazil

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft · Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung · Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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