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Published on: August 15, 2018
Interface engineering of Ru/RuO2 heterostructures on carbon nanotubes for efficient and stable acidic oxygen
Dazhou Kuang1,2, Sheng Yao1,2, Yang Yang1
1Hefei National Research Centre for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, P.R. China. yangyang1991@ustc.edu.cn.
Developing stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is key for water electrolyzers. This study created Ru/RuO2 heterostructures on carbon nanotubes, enhancing durability and OER kinetics for efficient energy conversion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Efficient and durable electrocatalysts are crucial for proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) performance.
- Ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) exhibits high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity but suffers from instability in acidic media due to oxidation to soluble RuO4- species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the structural stability and OER performance of RuO2-based electrocatalysts.
- To develop a novel Ru/RuO2 heterostructure integrated with carbon nanotubes (Ru/RuO2@CNT) for improved durability and kinetics in acidic OER.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Ru/RuO2 heterostructures on carbon nanotubes (Ru/RuO2@CNT).
- Characterization of the heterostructure's interfacial properties and electronic structure.
- Electrochemical evaluation of OER activity and durability in 0.5 M H2SO4.
Main Results:
- The Ru0-O-Ru4+ interfacial structure effectively suppressed Ru4+ oxidation and optimized the d-band center of Ru sites.
- Ru/RuO2@CNT-300 demonstrated a low overpotential of 169 mV at 10 mA cm-2.
- Exceptional durability exceeding 100 hours of stable operation was achieved in acidic electrolyte.
Conclusions:
- The constructed Ru/RuO2@CNT heterostructures provide a feasible strategy for designing highly stable and active OER electrocatalysts.
- This approach significantly enhances OER kinetics and durability, offering a promising pathway for high-performance PEMWE.
- The findings contribute to the advancement of electrocatalyst design for efficient water splitting technologies.
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