Partially reduced Ru/RuO2 composites as efficient and pH-universal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution

Yanliu Dang; Tianli Wu; Haiyan Tan; Jinlong Wang; Can Cui; Peter Kerns; Wen Zhao; Luisa Posada; Liaoyong Wen; Steven L. Suib

doi:10.1039/D1EE02380B

Partially reduced Ru/RuO₂ composites as efficient and pH-universal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution†

Yanliu Dang,

^a Tianli Wu,^b Haiyan Tan,^a Jinlong Wang,^c Can Cui,^a Peter Kerns,^d Wen Zhao,^a Luisa Posada,^d Liaoyong Wen*^e and Steven L. Suib

*^ad

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* Corresponding authors

^a Institute of Materials Science, U-3136, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
E-mail: steven.suib@uconn.edu

^b Henan Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials and School of Physics & Electronics, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China

^c School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China

^d Department of Chemistry, U-3060, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA

^e Key Laboratory of 3D Micro/nano Fabrication and Characterization of Zhejiang Province, School of Engineering, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China
E-mail: wenliaoyong@westlake.edu.cn

Abstract

Efficient and long-term stable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via water splitting are urgently desired to ease the energy crisis and develop the sustainability of human society. However, the HER performance of state-of-the-art Pt in non-acidic solutions is unsatisfactory due to the severely sluggish kinetics. Here, DFT theoretical calculations reveal that the Ru/RuO₂ composites enable high HER activity to be pursued under non-acidic conditions because of the distinctive Ru and RuO₂ interface, which possess not only a strong capability to adsorb and dissociate water but also appropriate binding energies of H and OH. Therefore, we employ a simple strategy, including heating under an oxygen-poor environment and/or in situ electrochemical reduction, to partially reduce RuO₂. The formed Ru/RuO₂ interfaces demonstrate superior HER activities (e.g. η₁₀ = 17 mV, 35 mV dec⁻¹ in 1 M KOH) than Pt/C (e.g. η₁₀ = 27 mV, 58 mV dec⁻¹ in 1 M KOH) at both small (10–100 mA cm⁻²) and large (1 A cm⁻²) current densities in alkaline solution and even real seawater. Comprehensive experiments were conducted to investigate the structure-HER performance relationships. Moreover, benefiting from the bifunctional character of RuO₂, a two-electrode system based on Ru/RuO₂ composites and RuO₂ exhibits the lowest cell voltage for water splitting in both 1 M KOH and 0.5 M H₂SO₄, respectively. A 300 h-stability test at 10 mA cm⁻² without an obvious decay demonstrates the industrial prospects of the Ru/RuO₂ composites to generate green energy.

Energy & Environmental Science

Partially reduced Ru/RuO₂ composites as efficient and pH-universal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution†

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Partially reduced Ru/RuO₂ composites as efficient and pH-universal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution

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