Abstract

Development of high-performance pH-universal electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a vital step towards hydrogen economy but remains a major challenge. Herein, the Ru decorated Co nanoparticles supported by N-doped carbon sheets (Ru/Co@NC) are prepared by galvanic exchange reaction and display a remarkable performance for HER. In the 1.0 M KOH, 0.01 M PBS and 0.5 M H2SO4, respectively, Ru/Co@NC shows low overpotentials of 10, 283 and 50 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2, comparable to benchmark Pt/C (23, 289 and 37 mV). Furthermore, deep experimental researches and DFT calculations indicate that the Ru-Co heterostructure shows more suitable energy of H2O* dissociation and H* adsorption compared to Ru and Co, which can significantly improve the HER activity. Besides excellent activity, in a wide pH range, the Ru/Co@NC also exhibits good stability with negligible current loss after a long-time HER test (30 h). This work may provide ponderable strategies for developing an efficient pH-universal HER electrocatalyst.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.