Exceptional green hydrogen production performance of a ruthenium-modulated nickel selenide

Developing low-cost, high-efficiency and stable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial but highly challenging. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that doping ruthenium (Ru) into catalysts can effectively optimize their electronic structure, hence leading to an optimal Gibbs free energy on the catalyst surface. Herein, an ultra-low Ru (about 2.34 wt%)-doped Ni₃Se₂ nanowire catalyst (i.e., Ru/Ni₃Se₂) supported on nickel foam has been fabricated by a hydrothermal reaction followed by a chemical etching process. The unique three-dimensional (3D) interconnected nanowires not only endow Ru and Ni₃Se₂ with uniform distribution and coupling, but also provide higher electrical conductivity, more active sites, an optimized electronic structure and favorable reaction kinetics. Therefore, the as-obtained Ru/Ni₃Se₂ catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance, with low overpotentials of 24 and 211 mV to supply a current density value of 10 mA cm^-2 towards the HER and OER in an alkaline environment, respectively. Notably, the as-fabricated Ru/Ni₃Se₂ catalyst only requires a low voltage of 1.476 V to derive a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 in the constructed two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer and exhibits exceptionally high stability. This work will provide a novel strategy for the design and fabrication of low-cost and high-performance bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen production by water electrolysis.