Synergistic coupling of ruthenium nanoparticles with sulfur-doped carbon nanosheets for efficient hydrogen evolution...

Sulfur-doped carbon (SC) is widely used as an effective support to stabilize and enhance the catalytic performance of noble metals, attracting considerable research interest. Herein, we utilize a straightforward one-step calcination approach to fabricate ruthenium nanoparticles coated with SC (Ru@SC). The integration of SC as a support not only improves the stability and dispersion of Ru nanoparticles but also optimizes their electronic properties, ultimately leading to more efficient hydrogen evolution. Specifically, the Ru@SC catalysts show excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance in acidic conditions, achieving an overpotential of 88.3 mV at 10 mA cm^-2, significantly outperforming the Ru@C catalyst (131.1 mV). Moreover, an aion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) using this catalyst achieves 1 A cm^-2 at 1.81 V with excellent stability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the robust electronic interaction at the Ru-SC interface significantly modifies the local electronic environment of Ru atoms. Such electronic restructuring leads to an optimal d-band center shift, which effectively balances the adsorption and desorption process of hydrogen intermediates (H^⁎), ultimately boosting the catalytic performance toward HER. This study proposes an innovative strategy for the development of high-efficiency electrocatalysts, offering significant potential for advancing sustainable energy technologies.