A highly active and exceptionally durable non-noble metal-sulphide based Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) catalyst and the preparation thereof. More particularly, provided is a highly active earth abundant metal-sulphide based HER catalyst with exceptionally durable hydrogen evolution activity even after 100 hrs.

Disclosed are catalysts having high activity, stability, and durability, methods for making, and fuel cells comprising the catalysts. The catalysts include nitrided ternary platinum (Pt) containing nanoparticles comprising platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co) having an intermetallic L1.sub.0 structure (IM-PtNiCON) loaded on a mesoporous carbon support comprising a predetermined hierarchical pore distribution architecture (MPC-HPDA). The nitrided ternary platinum (Pt) containing nanoparticles have an average particle diameter between about 3.0 nm and about 8.0 nm. The predetermined hierarchical pore distribution architecture of the mesoporous carbon support comprises a plurality of pores with a majority percentage of the plurality of pores having an average pore diameter between about 3.0 nm to about 8.0 nm, and at least a portion of the nitrided ternary platinum (Pt) containing nanoparticles is disposed within the majority percentage of the plurality of pores having an average diameter between about 3.0 nm to about 8.0 nm.

An electrode according to an embodiment includes a support and a catalyst layer having a structure in which sheet layers and gap layers are laminated alternately. The gap layers comprise a first oxide comprising a first element which is one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ti, Al, Ta, Nb, Hf, Zr, Zn, W, Bi, and Sb.

Catalyst material comprising nanoparticles dispersed within a metal oxide layer, the metal oxide layer comprises metal oxide comprising at least one metal cation, wherein the nanoparticles comprise Pt, wherein the nanoparticles comprise less than 10 atom % of oxygen, and wherein the metal oxide layer has an average thickness not greater than 50 nanometers. The catalyst material comprising nanoparticles dispersed within a metal oxide layer can be converted, for example, to nanoporous catalyst layer comprising nanoparticles fused together, wherein the nanoparticles comprise Pt, wherein the nanoparticles comprise less than 10 atom % of oxygen, and wherein the layer has an average thickness not greater than 50 nanometers. The nanoporous catalyst layer is useful, for example, in fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies.