Scale Differentiation Tuning of Electronic Metal-Support Interactions to Construct a Robust Ruthenium-Based Catalyst...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts are vital for industrial water electrolysis.
• Ruthenium (Ru)-based catalysts show potential as alternatives to platinum (Pt), but often suffer from low activity and poor utilization.
• Developing low-cost, highly active, and stable HER catalysts remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel Ruthenium single-atom/nanocluster (Ru_SA/NC) catalyst supported on 3D ordered hierarchical porous N-doped carbon (3DOM-NC).
• To enhance the electronic metal-support interaction and optimize the catalytic activity and stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction.
• To investigate the structure-activity relationship and understand the mechanism behind the enhanced performance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a 3D ordered hierarchical porous N-doped carbon (3DOM-NC) support.
• Anchoring of Ruthenium single atoms and nanoclusters (Ru_SA/NC) onto the 3DOM-NC support with differentiated scaling.
• Electrochemical characterization including cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
• Durability testing in an anion exchange membrane electrolyzer under high current density.

Main Results:

• The designed Ru_SA/NC/3DOM-NC catalyst exhibited significantly enhanced intrinsic HER activity, with a turnover frequency (TOF) 7.7 times higher than commercial Pt/C at 100 mV overpotential.
• The catalyst demonstrated superior water dissociation capability and optimized reaction intermediate adsorption due to modulated electronic structure of Ru sites.
• The catalyst showed remarkable stability, operating continuously for over 130 hours at 100 mA cm^-2 during overall water splitting.

Conclusions:

• The novel Ru_SA/NC/3DOM-NC catalyst presents a highly effective strategy for improving HER performance through optimized electronic metal-support interactions and dual-site synergy.
• This approach offers a promising pathway for developing next-generation, low-cost, and highly efficient electrocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production.
• The findings highlight the importance of precise control over catalyst structure and active site engineering for advancing water electrolysis technology.