Preparation and Support Effect of Graphdiyne Nanotubes with Abundant Cu Quantum Dots

Graphdiyne (GDY) is considered a very attractive support for metal nanocatalysts due to its unique structure and superior properties. The metal-GDY interaction can significantly affect the performance of catalysts. Herein, GDY nanotubes abundant in in situ formed Cu quantum dots (QDs) (Cu-GDYNT) are prepared using the electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers collected on the surface of electrolytic Cu foil as templates. The diameter of the Cu-GDYNT is controllable and the uniform size of the embedded Cu QDs is about 2.2 nm. And then, the uniformly dispersed and highly active supported catalysts of ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru_x/Cu-GDYNT) are produced using the Cu-GDYNT as the support. Among them, the Ru₃/Cu-GDYNT exhibit outstanding HER performance at all pH levels. Only 17, 67 and 83 mV overpotential is required to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 in 1.0 M KOH, 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 1.0 M neutral PBS solutions, respectively. The sample exhibits 3000 CV cycle stability and 20 h continuous electrolysis without performance degradation in an alkaline medium. This work provides a new idea for constructing the GDY-supported metal nanocatalysts.