Efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are significant for the utilization of hydrogen as a fuel, particularly under alkaline conditions. However, the sluggish kinetics of HER remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate an efficient HER catalyst comprising Ru and AgCl nanoparticles anchored on Ag nanowires (Ru/AgCl@Ag), which delivers a low overpotential of 12 mV at 10 mA cm^–2 and a Tafel slope of 38 mV decade^–1. A high mass activity of 214 mA mg^–1 at an overpotential of 25 mV and a long-term durability in 1.0 M KOH are observed. In combination with computational simulations, we find that the high electronegativity of chlorine in AgCl and d-band electrons from Ru synergistically destabilize the water molecule and modulate H adsorption/desorption on the surface of Ru/AgCl@Ag, respectively. This work opens a promising avenue for the facile design and application of highly active and stable composite electrocatalysts toward water splitting.

中文翻译：

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几何结构和电子极化协同提高了氢在碱性介质中的析氢动力学。

氢气释放反应（HER）的高效电催化剂对于利用氢气作为燃料非常重要，特别是在碱性条件下。然而，HER的缓慢动力学仍然是一个挑战。在这里，我们演示了一种高效的HER催化剂，该催化剂包含锚定在Ag纳米线上的Ru和AgCl纳米粒子（Ru / AgCl @ Ag），在10 mA cm ^–2时提供12 mV的低过电势，而Tafel斜率为38 mV ^{-1 –}。214 mA mg ^–1的高质量活性观察到在25 mV的超电势下具有1.0 M KOH的长期耐久性。结合计算模拟，我们发现AgCl中氯的高电负性和Ru的d带电子协同破坏了水分子的稳定性，并分别调节了Ru / AgCl @ Ag表面的H吸附/解吸。这项工作为易于设计和将高活性和稳定的复合电催化剂用于水分解开辟了一条有希望的途径。