Integrated doped-Ru electrocatalyst with excellent H adsorption–desorption and active site on hollow tubular structures for boosting efficient hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Electrochemical water splitting for hydrogen production is an ideal process for clean energy production. However, highly active and low-cost electrocatalysts are essential and challenging. In this work, a multi-component Cu-based catalyst (Ru-M-C-Cu), synergized with ruthenium (Ru) heteroatom doping, was synthesized via a facile immersion-calcination-immersion method. Based on the cotton biomass substrate, a hollow tubular structure was obtained. By virtue of its distinctive structure and high carbon content, cotton biomass assumed a dual role as a sacrificial template and a reducing agent in the eco-friendly synthesis of electrocatalysts, which was instrumental in the creation of a multi-component system augmented by heteroatom doping. The multi-component system was constructed by in-situ transformation and redox reaction during calcination in an oxygen-free environment. The Ru-M-C-Cu catalyst exhibited a competitive overpotential of 108 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The satisfactory catalytic performance of Ru-M-C-Cu can be attributed to the fact that the Ru-O-Cu catalytic centers enhanced the adsorption and desorption abilities of the Cu–O active sites toward hydrogen. Furthermore, the hollow tubular structure allowed the electrolyte to make full contact with the active sites of the Ru-M-C-Cu catalyst, thus accelerated the HER kinetics. The catalyst showed structural and chemical stability after a 12-hour successive test. Besides, the production cost of Ru-M-C-Cu was significantly reduced by 99.1 % than that of commercial 20 % Pt/C, showing the potential as an alternative catalyst by offering a more accessible and sustainable source. This work provides a new design of sustainable low-budget electrocatalysts with the proposed strategies expected for producing clean and renewable hydrogen energy.