Defect-Rich RuCu Multilayered Nanosheets for Effective Alkaline Hydrogen Electrocatalysis

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Developing efficient and durable catalysts for alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for hydrogen energy applications.
• Platinum-based catalysts are effective but costly and face challenges in alkaline media.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize novel, high-performance, platinum-free electrocatalysts for alkaline HOR and HER.
• To investigate the structure-activity relationship of defect-rich ruthenium-copper multilayered nanosheets (RuCu MNSs) for enhanced catalytic performance.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of 2D defect-rich RuCu multilayered nanosheets (RuCu MNSs).
• Electrochemical characterizations including cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry.
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to understand the role of defects and intermediate adsorption.

Main Results:

• RuCu MNSs exhibited significantly enhanced mass activity for alkaline HOR (4.91 A mg ^-1 at 50 mV vs. RHE) compared to Ru MNSs/C and commercial Pt/C.
• The catalyst demonstrated excellent CO tolerance, with only a 20.12% decrease in current density after 3000 s of operation in the presence of 100 ppm CO.
• Low overpotential of 22.42 mV was required for RuCu MNSs/C to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm ^-2 for the HER.

Conclusions:

• Defect engineering in RuCu MNSs effectively modulates the adsorption of key intermediates (*H and *OH), boosting catalytic activity.
• The developed RuCu MNSs/C presents a promising alternative to platinum-based catalysts for efficient and durable hydrogen electrocatalysis in alkaline media.
• This work offers a viable strategy for designing advanced, cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen energy applications.