Confining ruthenium nanoparticles in MOF pores for high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

The exploration of low-cost catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction holds great significance in application. Ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru NPs)-based composites have emerged as a type of promising candidates. This study focuses on the impact of metal–organic framework (MOF) pore structure on the growth of Ru NPs, as well as the resulting effects on their electrocatalytic properties using two Ru@MOFs electrodes (Ru@Ni-BPM/NF and Ru@Ni-BPDC/NF). 3D Ni-BPM can effectively load Ru NPs with uniform and controlled size, while 2D Ni-BPDC leads to uncontrolled growth of Ru NPs. Consequently, Ru@Ni-BPM/NF shows superior catalytic performance with a smaller overpotential of 12 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a lower Tafel slope of 40.3 mV dec-1, outperforming Ru@Ni-BPDC/NF and commercial Pt/C in alkaline media. Meanwhile, the pore confinement effect of Ni-BPM significantly reduces the aggregation of Ru NPs during extended stability testing, guaranteeing the structural integrity of the electrode and sustained exposure of the active sites.