Self‐Accommodation Induced Electronic Metal–Support Interaction on Ruthenium Site for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Tuning the metal‐support interaction of supported metal catalysts has been found to be the most effective approach to modulating electronic structure and improving catalytic performance. But practical understanding of the charge transfer mechanism at the electronic level of catalysis process has remained elusive. Here, it is reported that ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles can self‐accommodate into Fe3O4 and carbon support (Ru‐Fe3O4/C) through the electronic metal‐support interaction, resulting in robust catalytic activity toward the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Spectroscopic evidence and theoretical calculations demonstrate that electronic perturbation occurred in the Ru‐Fe3O4/C, and that charge redistribution directly influenced adsorption behavior during the catalytic process. The RuO bond formed by orbital mixing changes the charge state of the surface Ru site, enabling more electrons to flow to H intermediates (H*) for favorable adsorption. The weak binding strength of the RuO bond also reinforces the anti‐bonding character of H* with a more favorable recombination of H* species into H2 molecules. Because of this satisfactory catalytic mechanism, the Ru‐Fe3O4/C supported nanoparticle catalyst demonstrated better HER activity and robust stability than the benchmark commercial Pt/C benchmark in alkaline media.

Fabricating Ru Atom-Doped Novel FeP4/Fe2PO5 Heterogeneous Interface for Overall Water Splitting in Alkaline Environment

“…According to the experimental results, Ru sites can be clearly identified as the main active site of HER, which is mainly attributed to the coupling synergistic effect of Ru–O atom and Fe–O bond to promote the adsorption of H* at Ru site and accelerate alkaline HER process. , Since the FeP 4 /Fe 2 PO 5 edge (Fe site as the active site) also showed high catalytic activity (Figure a), it was difficult to determine the active site of Ru@FeP 4 /Fe 2 PO 5 . Therefore, in order to determine the true active site of Ru@FeP 4 /Fe 2 PO 5 for the OER, density functional theory (DFT) was applied.…”

Electronic modulation of heterostructured MoOx supported Ru as robust bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting

“…3b) shows that the double peaks at 462.7 eV and 484.7 eV are derived from Ru 3p 3/2 and Ru 3p 1/2 , respectively, which are positively shifted compared to metal Ru. 18,39 The double peaks at 465.4 eV and 487.3 eV originate from Ru-O, which is formed due to the strong interaction of anchored on MoO x . Compared with Mo 3d of MoO x (Fig.…”

“…They immobilize metal nanoparticles by forming metal-oxygen bonds (M-O) between them to form strong electron metal-carrier interactions (EMSIs). [18][19][20][21][22][23] Sun's group successfully prepared Ru-WO 3 by loading single-atom Ru onto WO 3 substrates, which regulates the electronic structure of Ru by interacting with WO 3 and prevents the agglomeration of Ru, resulting in high HER activity and durability. 24 Li's group prepared ultra-fine Ru nanoparticle (NP)-modified V 2 O 3 on carbon cloth (designed as Ru/V 2 O 3 -CC).…”

Optimizing the hydrogen adsorption strength on interfacial Ru sites with WN for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution

“…To solve the problem of addressing the energy crisis and environmental pollution caused by excessive use of traditional fossil fuels, developing efficient and sustainable eco-friendly energy is crucial. [1][2][3] Hydrogen is considered one of the most promising energy sources to replace traditional fossil fuels in the future due to its high energy density, perfect recyclability and environmental friendliness. [4][5][6] Recently, electrocatalytic water splitting has been regarded as a promising approach for producing hydrogen fuel.…”