Atomic Metal-Support Interaction Enables Reconstruction-Free Dual-Site Electrocatalyst

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Real bifunctional electrocatalysts must maintain structural integrity during hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• Many bifunctional catalysts undergo irreversible structural transformation or surface reconstruction, acting as precatalysts rather than true catalysts.
• Developing stable electrocatalysts is crucial for efficient and long-term water splitting applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a stable, single-atom dispersed catalyst for both HER and OER.
• To investigate the role of atomic ruthenium in stabilizing the catalyst structure during electrochemical reactions.
• To demonstrate the superior performance and stability of the proposed catalyst compared to existing bifunctional catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of single-atom dispersed ruthenium on a nickel-vanadium layered double hydroxide (LDH) scaffold.
• Utilizing in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy and operando Raman spectroscopy to study catalyst behavior.
• Electrochemical testing to evaluate hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities.

Main Results:

• The atomic ruthenium decorated Ni-V LDH catalyst exhibits excellent HER and OER activities.
• In situ and operando spectroscopy confirm that atomic Ru stabilizes the Ni-V LDH surface, preventing reconstruction.
• Strong metal-support interaction between Ru and Ni-V LDH stabilizes active sites, allowing for stable oxidation states during HER and enhanced tolerance during OER.
• The Ru/Ni₃V-LDH catalyst demonstrates steady dual reactive sites without structural degradation during water splitting cycles.

Conclusions:

• The developed Ru/Ni₃V-LDH functions as a real bifunctional electrocatalyst due to its stable structure and dual active sites.
• Strong metal-support interaction is key to achieving reconstruction-free surfaces and high catalytic activity for water splitting.
• This work provides a new strategy for designing robust bifunctional electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications.