Metallic materials with unique surface structure have attracted much attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties. However, it is hard to prepare bulk metallic materials with special crystal faces, especially at the nanoscale. Herein, we report an efficient method to adjust the surface structure of a Cu plate which combines ion implantation technology with the oxidation–etching process. The large number of vacancies generated by ion implantation induced the electrochemical oxidation of several atomic layers in depth; after chemical etching, the Cu(100) planes were exposed on the surface of the Cu plate. As a catalyst for acid hydrogen evolution reaction, the Cu plate with (100) planes merely needs 273 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA/cm2 because the high-energy (100) surface has moderate hydrogen adsorption and desorption capability. This work provides an appealing strategy to engineer the surface structure of bulk metallic materials and improve their catalytic properties.

Work function can serve as a characteristic quantity to evaluate the catalytic activity due to the relation with the surface structure of a materials. However, what factors determine the influence...