Improved electrochemical water splitting by RuNi nanoparticles supported on rGO@mesoporous N-doped carbon nanosheets

Abstract

Electrocatalytic water splitting as a promising mode of generate hydrogen for alleviating the energy shortage and environmental pollution issues. Exploring high-performance, inexpensive, as well as robust bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is extremely indispensable and challenging. The electrocatalysts made of the precious metals and cheap transition metals not only can promote the electrochemical catalytic activities, but also decrease the manufacturing cost. Herein, a facile and cost-effective molecule-mediated interfacial co-assembly strategy was employed to prepare RuNi nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide@mesoporous N-doped carbon nanosheets (rGO@MNCs) as superior HER electrocatalysts. Benefiting from the two-dimensional conductive heteroatom (N) doped porous carbon nanosheets, and more reaction active sites and the synergistic effect of Ru and Ni, the as-prepared RuNi-rGO@MNCs-2 catalyst shows good electrochemical behaviors. The related overpotentials at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 are 28 and 37 mV in the alkaline and acidic media. In addition, the corresponding reaction Tafel slopes are calculated to be 35 and 54 mV dec−1, showing potential applications in the future.