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Ru Nanoparticles Encapsulated by Defective TiO2 Boost the Hydrogen Oxidation/ Evolution Reaction
Xiuting Fu1, Xiaoxiao Huang1, Yaping Cen1
1International Joint Bioenergy Laboratory of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
Highly dispersed ruthenium nanoparticles on defective titanium dioxide boost alkaline hydrogen electrocatalysis. This novel catalyst demonstrates superior activity and durability for hydrogen oxidation/evolution reactions in fuel cells and electrolyzers.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Efficient electrocatalysts are vital for anion exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers.
- Designing catalysts for alkaline hydrogen oxidation/evolution reactions requires optimizing adsorbate interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a highly dispersed ruthenium nanoparticle catalyst supported by defective anatase titanium dioxide (Ru NPs/def-TiO2(A)).
- To enhance hydrogen electrocatalysis, specifically hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), with robust anti-CO-poisoning in alkaline conditions.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Ru NPs/def-TiO2(A) catalyst.
- Electrochemical evaluation of HOR and HER activity and durability.
- Hydrogen underpotential deposition (Hupd) and CO stripping experiments.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to elucidate the catalytic mechanism.
Main Results:
- Ru NPs/def-TiO2(A) exhibits significantly higher HOR activity (23.2-fold vs. Ru/C, 9.5-fold vs. Pt/C).
- Achieves an outstanding overpotential of 21 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for alkaline HER.
- Demonstrates optimized adsorption strength for H*, OH*, and CO*, leading to robust performance and anti-CO-poisoning capabilities.
Conclusions:
- The Ru NPs/def-TiO2(A) catalyst offers superior performance for alkaline HOR and HER.
- The enhanced activity is attributed to favorable water formation kinetics at the Ru NPs/def-TiO2(A) interface, as confirmed by DFT calculations.
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