Optimizing the Electronic Structure of Atomically Dispersed Ru Sites with CoP for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution in both Alkaline and Acidic Media

Abstract

Developing efficient and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) over a wide pH range and industrial large‐scale hydrogen production is critical and challenging. Here, a tailoring strategy is developed to fabricate an outstanding HER catalyst in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes containing high‐density atomically dispersed Ru sites anchored in the CoP nanoparticles supported on carbon spheres (NC@RuSA‐CoP). The obtained NC@RuSA‐CoP catalyst exhibits excellent HER performance with overpotentials of only 15 and 13 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1 m KOH and 0.5 m H2SO4, respectively. The experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the strong interaction between the Ru site and the CoP can effectively optimize the electronic structure of Ru sites to reduce the hydrogen binding energy and the water dissociation energy barrier. The constructed alkaline anion exchange membrane water electrolyze (AAEMWE) demonstrates remarkable durability and an industrial‐level current density of 1560 mA cm−2 at 1.8 V. This strategy provides a new perspective on the design of Ru‐based electrocatalysts with suitable intermediate adsorption strengths and paves the way for the development of highly active electrocatalysts for industrial‐scale hydrogen production.

Realization of electron-deficient Ru sites via Co4N coupling for synergistically enhanced alkaline hydrogen evolution

“…1g), corresponding to the (111) plane of Co 4 N and the (101) plane of Ru, respectively. 38,39 Elemental mapping shows that the Ru, Co, and N elements are evenly distributed over Ru/Co 4 N (Fig. 1h).…”

Blocking Metal Nanocluster Growth through Ligand Coordination and Subsequent Polymerization: The Case of Ruthenium Nanoclusters as Robust Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysts

“…This maximized SSA favors electrolyte penetration and intermediate reactant transportation, which also speeds up HER kinetics and thus improves the catalytic performance. [ 67 ]…”

Aryl ether-free polymer electrolytes for electrochemical and energy devices

“…The current density of the cell reached 1.56 A cm −2 at 80 °C with stable performance at 0.5 A cm −2 for 100 hours. 607 In 2023, two notable results were published using non-commercial AEMs. Xu and co-workers reported high-performance AEMWEs (5.3 A cm −2 at 1.8 V) with stable performance for 3000 hours.…”