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Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Simple Methods for the Preparation of Non-noble Metal Bulk-electrodes for Electrocatalytic Applications
Published on: June 21, 2017
Interfacial engineering of ruthenium-nickel for efficient hydrogen electrocatalysis in alkaline medium
Mengyuan Jin1, Xiang Han1, Ting Chou1
1Wenzhou Key Lab of Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion, Zhejiang Province Key Lab of Leather Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China.
Abstract:
Developing highly efficient electrocatalyst with heterostructure for hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions (HER/HOR) in alkaline media is crucial to the fabrication and conversion of hydrogen energy but also remains a great challenge. Herein, the synthesis of ruthenium-nickel nanoparticles (Ru3-Ni NPs) with heterostructure for hydrogen electrocatalysis is reported, and studies show that their catalytic activity is improved by electron redistribution caused by the distinctly heterogeneous interface. Impressively, Ru3-Ni NPs possess the remarkable exchange current density (2.22 mA cm-2) for HOR. Additionally, an ultra-low overpotential of 28 mV is required to attain a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and superior stability of 200 h for HER. The highly efficient catalytic activity can be attributed to the electron transfer from Ni to Ru and the optimal adsorption of H* on Ru-Ni sites. Our study showcases a reliable heterostructure that boosts the HOR/HER activity of the catalyst in alkaline environments. This work provides a new pathway for designing high-performance electrocatalyst for energy storage and conversion.
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