Single atomic ruthenium in WO3 boosted hydrogen evolution stability at Ampere-level current density in whole pH range

Abstract

Hydrogen evolution reaction is an important half-cell reaction in electrocatalytic water splitting process, which is an efficient way to store renewable energy into hydrogen fuel. However, grid scale water splitting always require high current densities up to amperes per square centimeter, which results change in local pH on the electrode surface, leading to instability risk of cathodic catalyst. Herein, a single atomic Ru doped WO3 catalyst was fabricated, which exhibit excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity with only 28.0, 17.6, and 83.0 mV in acidic, alkaline, and neutral media respectively as well as robust stability for 100 h at ampere-level current density is reported. Synchrotron radiation and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the defective oxygen and strong electron transfer from W sites to Ru not only achieved moderate H adsorption but also protected Ru sites from agglomeration, leading to superior HER activity and stability at industrial current density.