Surface Of Heterostructure Research Articles

TiO2@Ti3C2Tx heterostructure as an environmentally stable saturable absorber for ultrafast photonics

MXenes, one of the largest families of two-dimensional (2D) materials, provide great potential in photonics, electronics and energy. Especially, MXenes are recently discovered as alternatives to conventional saturable absorbers (SAs). However, the inevitable exposure of metal atoms on surface is likely to react with oxygen or oxygen-containing groups, leading to the severe problem of environmental instability. Here, we developed a partially-controlled oxidation strategy to prepare TiO2@Ti3C2Tx heterostructures. The dense nanosized TiO2 on the surface of heterostructures prevent the further oxidation of the Ti3C2Tx inside, enabling a stable performance in ultrafast photonics. The saturable absorption property of TiO2@Ti3C2Tx heterostructures is verified using the balanced twin-detector measurement system. The modulation depth and saturation intensity were determined to be 14.4% and 2.929 GW/cm2 at 1550 nm, respectively. The Erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) with the use of TiO2@Ti3C2Tx SAs exhibits pulse width of 552 fs. More importantly, there is no obvious degradation in saturable absorption property of the TiO2@Ti3C2Tx based EDFL after an exposure in air for more than thirteen months, indicating the excellent environmental stability of the TiO2@Ti3C2Tx heterostructures. This work provides an alternative approach to enhance the long-term performance of Ti3C2Tx optoelectronic devices, which may shed light on the material synthesis and device design of MXenes.

Theoretical Study on two Direct Z‐scheme Heterostructure Photocatalysts for Efficient Photohydrolysis and Catalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde, CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF

AbstractGraphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) have attracted much attention due to their suitable band gap and excellent photocatalytic activity.Although BiOF cannot respond to visible light due to its ultra‐high band gap (3.6 eV), its strong oxidizing property is attractive to researchers.Therefore, in this study, we employed first‐principles studies to design mediator‐free CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF heterostructured photocatalysts. Then, the band structures, optical properties, charge transfer and radical generation reactions of the CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF heterostructures were calculated, respectively.The results show that the heterostructure exhibits hydrogen evolution and reactive radical generation potential under visible light irradiation. In addition, an interfacial electric field is generated during the interfacial charge transfer process of the heterostructure, and the generated interfacial electric field improves the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. This improvement is attributed to CdS (or g‐C3N4) acting as an electron acceptor, enabling the migration of photogenerated carriers at the interface to conform to the direct z‐scheme. Furthermore, we designed a method for catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde on the surface of heterostructures by exploiting the strong oxidizing properties of BiOF, which broadened the applicable scope of CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF heterostructures. This work facilitates the design of novel Z‐scheme photocatalysts and provides new insights into the Z‐scheme charge transfer mechanism in the field of solar energy conversion.

Effects of flexoelectric polarization on surface potential of dielectric thin-film heterostructures: A comparative study

Recently, flexoelectric effect has attracted considerable attention owing to ubiquitous existence in all dielectrics, regardless of the symmetry. It promises intriguingly physical phenomena, such as strain gradient-induced electric polarizations, photocurrents, and interfacial transports, as well as their electromechanical coupling with external force loading, in diverse materials for multifunctional applications in electronics. In this work, we report the flexoelectric-modulation on surface potential of LaFeO3 (LFO) thin-film heterostructures. The LFO thin film with or without the flexoelectric effect has been achieved by controlling epitaxial misfit against a substrate. Lattice structures and strain behaviors are observed by atomic-resolution high-angle annular dark-field imaging. Grown on a LaAlO3 substrate, a giant strain gradient of ∼3 × 106 m−1 is generated in the LFO thin film due to the gradual relaxation of large misfit strain with increasing thickness, yielding a robust flexoelectric polarization pointing to the heterostructure surface. In contrast, the LFO is almost fully strained on a SrTiO3 substrate due to the small lattice mismatch. The flexoelectric polarization results in an increase in surface potential in the LFO heterostructure due to the incomplete screening of positive polarization bound charges, as observed by scanning kelvin probe microscopy. Furthermore, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the flexoelectric polarization can downward bend the band alignment of the LFO layer and modulate the interfacial potential barriers. These results provide the way for experimental observations of the flexoelectric effect and deliver physical insight into deep understanding of interfacial electronic structures of flexoelectric-based devices.

Oriented interlayered charge transfer in NiCoFe layered double hydroxide/MoO3 stacked heterostructure promoting the oxygen-evolving behavior

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the rate-limiting half reaction of water electrolysis, plays as a crucial role in improving the overall efficiency of the coupled hydrogen evolution. To date, earth-abundant OER catalysts have been extensively studied, while unfortunately their catalytic activity and operational stability still need to be further optimized. In this work, we fabricated a highly efficient OER catalyst based on two-dimensional (2D) NiCoFe layered double hydroxide (LDH)/MoO3 stacked heterostructure with enriched active sites and optimal electronic structure via an electrostatic-driven self-assembly process. The rough surface of the 2D heterostructure could offer abundant reactive sites for the pre-oxidation reaction, thereby leading to fast generation of the high-valence active species for OER, and the multi-metal synergy and oriented interlayered charge transfer could further enhance the intrinsic OER activity, finally resulting in enhanced OER performance with low overpotential, large current density, high intrinsic activity and excellent operational stability.

Surface engineering of superhydrophilic Ni2P@NiFe LDH heterostructure toward efficient water splitting electrocatalysis

Building heterostructures with rich interfaces by surface engineering is one of the most promising approaches to integrating the rich functionalities for water splitting. Herein, the porous and superhydrophilic nickel phosphide@ NiFe bimetal layered double hydroxides (NF-Ni2P@NiFe LDH) heterostructure in situ grown on nickel foam was successfully constructed. As a result, the unique of self-supported heterostructure and superhydrophilic surface facilitated electron and mass transfer. In addition, the porous structure promoted active site exposure and was in favor of bubble release. Benefiting from the aforementioned advantages, the NF-Ni2P@NiFe LDH performed a superior catalytic performance for water splitting, with a low overpotential of 105.4 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and 203.5 mV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at 10 mA cm−2, thus a battery voltage of just 1.53 V providing a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a two-electrode electrolytic cell. Furthermore, the NF-Ni2P@NiFe LDH showed a remarkable stability, which worked for over 60 h at 100 mA cm−2 without visible delay. The ex-situ Raman revealed that the NiOOH and FeOOH severed as active site for OER and HER, respectively.

Adsorption and dissociation of mercury species on the surface of 1T-MnO2/graphene

In this paper, the adsorption of HgCl and HgO mercury species is studied on the 1T-MnO2/graphene heterostructure, using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) within the framework of Generalized Gradient Approximation of Perdew-Burke and Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE) along with atomic pseudopotentials. The heterostructure is modelled using the periodic slab scheme, with a vacuum region of 26 Å. In this investigation, the surface of interest is the monolayer of 1T-MnO2 coupled to a monolayer of graphene and its interaction with the HgCl and HgO species of mercury. The graphene monolayer only acts as a substrate to support the 1T-MnO2 monolayer; for that reason, in all of the processes of adsorption of the HgCl and HgO species of mercury onto the heterostructure, the atomic positions of the graphene remain fixed.In order to study the most energetically favorable adsorption model, the especial sites TO1, TO2, TM1 and TM2 in the 1T-MnO2/graphene surface are considered as well as the different orientations of the HgCl and HgO molecules on the heterostructure surface. In both cases, it is concluded that the most energetically favorable site is TO2 with adsorption energy values of −1.668 eV and −1.904 eV respectively. The analysis of the possible molecular dissociation scenarios shows that the HgCl and HgO species are strongly adsorbed (chemically) by the surface of the heterostructure. In particular, after of the adsorption process, the HgO molecule is dissociated by the 1T-MnO2/graphene heterostructure, where the oxygen atom is removed, and the mercury atom is adsorbed by the surface of the heterostructure. This scenario is highest favorable for the adsorption of Hg on the heterostructure. These results obtained indicate that the heterostructure behaves as a formidable substrate for the capture of the HgCl and HgO species. Lastly, the effect of their adsorption over the surface of the 1T-MnO2/graphene heterostructure in terms of electronic properties is analyzed for the most energetically stable configurations in each case.

Sensitivity enhancement of SPR biosensor employing heterostructure blue phosphorus/MoS2 and silicon layer

The present study proposes three new Kretschmann-configuration-based heterostructure surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors for biomolecule detection. The thicknesses of silver (Ag), silicon (Si) and heterostructure blue phosphorus (BlueP)/molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) layers were optimized under the consideration of less reflectivity, full width at half maximum and enhanced sensitivity. After thickness optimization, the performance parameters of the proposed SPR sensor were also calculated in terms of sensitivity, quality factor and detection accuracy. The effect of increasing the number of heterostructure BlueP/molybdenum disulfide layers on the performance was also analyzed. It was also observed that the silicon layer played an important role in enhancing all performance parameters when it was deposited between the silver and heterostructure BlueP/molybdenum disulfide layers. The optimized sensitivity at a wavelength of 633 nm of the heterostructure BlueP/molybdenum disulfide monolayer and silicon layer was 282°/refractive index unit (RIU). The highest optimized sensitivity of 328°/RIU was achieved with two layers of heterostructure BlueP/molybdenum disulfide with a silicon layer thickness of 5 nm. It was found that the sensitivity increased by 16% when the number of heterostructure layers was changed. Other important parameters such as detection accuracy, quality factor and full width at half maximum were also calculated for the proposed SPR sensor. Moreover, a transverse magnetic field plot was created and a penetration depth of 138.25 nm for the proposed SPR sensor was calculated.

Improvement of thermal resistance in InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs microdisk lasers bonded onto silicon

Epi-side down bonding on a silicon substrate of AlGaAs/GaAs microdisk lasers is presented. A heterostructure with coupled large optical cavities enables location of an InGaAs quantum dot active region at a distance of ∼1 µm from the heterostructure surface. The thermal resistance was reduced to 0.2 and 0.1 K mW−1 for disks of 30 and 50 µm in diameter, respectively. The maximum continuous-wave power limited by the thermal rollover is more than doubled after bonding.

Ni-CeO2 Heterostructures in Li-S Batteries: A Balancing Act between Adsorption and Catalytic Conversion of Polysulfide.

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have attracted considerable attention over the last two decades because of a high energy density and low cost. However, the wide application of Li–S batteries has been severely impeded due to the poor electrical conductivity of S, shuttling effect of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), and sluggish redox kinetics of S species, especially under high S loading. To address all these issues, a Ni–CeO2 heterostructure‐doped carbon nanofiber (Ni‐CeO2‐CNF) is developed as an S host that combines the strong adsorption with the high catalytic activity and the good electrical conductivity, where the LiPSs anchored on the heterostructure surface can directly gain electrons from the current collector and realize a fast conversion between S8 and Li2S. Therefore, Li–S batteries with S@Ni‐CeO2‐CNF cathodes exhibit superior long‐term cycling stability, with a capacity decay of 0.046% per cycle over 1000 cycles, even at 2 C. Noteworthy, under a sulfur loading up to 6 mg cm−2, a high reversible areal capacity of 5.3 mAh cm−2 can be achieved after 50 cycles at 0.1 C. The heterostructure‐modified S cathode effectively reconciles the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of LiPSs for adsorption and conversion, furthering the development of high‐performance Li–S batteries.

Graphene-based SiC Van der Waals heterostructures: nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation study.

The structural properties and thermal conductivity of graphene-based SiC heterostructures are investigated using the reverse nonequilibrium molecular dynamics. The C/SiC/C heterostructure has the greatest value of cohesive energy due to the effect of vdW interactions between layers. The surfaces of heterostructures begin to ripple as a direct consequence of the plane fluctuations observed around T = 400 K. The thermal conductivity at room temperature is determined. The length and the armchair and zigzag orientations increase the magnitude of κ which decreases with increasing temperature. This change is attributed to the phonon Umklapp scattering and phonon cross-plane couplings. The impact of point vacancy, bi-vacancy and edge vacancy in a concentration range up to 2% is also discussed. The localization of low-frequency phonons around the vacancy induces a decaying characteristic of thermal conductivity. The effect depends on the type of vacancy and is more pronounced in heterostructures with point vacancy. The present results make pristine and defective heterostructures promising materials for various thermoelectric applications with tunable functionalities.

NO2 capture on graphene/WSe2 heterostructure with high sensitivity and selectivity modulated by external electric field

The adsorption performance of ten gas molecules (H2, N2, O2, CO, CO2, H2O, NO, NO2, SO2 and CH4) on graphene/WSe2 heterostructure is studied by means of first-principles calculations. The results show that gas molecules are physisorbed on the heterostructure surface owing to the weak interface interaction between gas molecules and graphene/WSe2. Meanwhile, NO2 has the strongest interactions with the graphene/WSe2 heterostructure among these gas molecules, suggesting the heterostructure has the highest selectivity towards NO2. Moreover, NO2 behaves as an electron acceptor and attracts electrons from graphene/WSe2 heterostructure, resulting in the reduction of Schottky barrier height of the heterostructure. Further, the controlled external electric field regulates the adsorption properties of the gas-graphene/WSe2 system in terms of the adsorption energies, band structures, and charge transfer. It is found that the sensitivity of NO2 on graphene/WSe2 heterostructure can be enhanced under large positive electric field (E = +0.5 V/Å), which induced by the charge redistribution between gas and the heterostructure. Our work will provide a preference to design the WSe2-based sensors with high sensitivity and selectivity.

Charge properties and currents in the silicon/nanoparticles of zinc oxide heterostructure irradiated by the solar light

Silicon/zinc oxide heterostructures have shown themselves to be promising for use in photovoltaics. This paper presents the results of modeling the charge properties and currents in a Si/nanosized ZnO particle with different types of conductivity under sunlight irradiation. The simulation was carried out using the Comsol Multiphysics software package. The energy diagrams of the investigated heterostructures were plotted, the charge properties and currents flowing in the structure were investigated, the dependences of the rate of generation of charge carriers on wavelength on the surfaces of silicon, zinc oxide, and at the interface between silicon and zinc oxide, the rate of recombination of charge carriers at various wavelengths of incident radiation was obtained. The regularities of the influence of wavelength of the incident radiation on the charge density and electric potential on the surface of heterostructures have been established. It is shown that the potential on the surface of the p-Si / n-ZnO heterostructure is positive, depends on the wavelength of the incident radiation and reaches the maximum of 0.68 V. For other structures, it is negative and does not depend on the wavelength: n-Si / p-ZnO –0.78 V, p-Si / p-ZnO –0.65 V, n-Si / n-ZnO –0.25 V.

Highly hydrophilic electrodeposited NiS/Ni3S2 interlaced nanosheets with surface-enriched Ni3+ sites as binder-free flexible cathodes for high-rate hybrid supercapacitors

In this study, nanostructured nickel sulfides (NiS, Ni3S2 and NiS/Ni3S2) were fabricated directly on the surface of flexible carbon fiber cloths by simply modifying the deposition parameters of pulse-reversal (PR) electrodeposition method and utilized as binder-free flexible electrodes for aqueous hybrid supercapacitors (SCs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurement studies verifies that the surface of heterostructure NiS/Ni3S2 electrode has enriched Ni3+ sites and highly hydrophilic nature. Consequently, the heterostructure NiS/Ni3S2 electrode demonstrated superior rate capability than that of both single phase NiS and Ni3S2 electrodes. Additionally, the hybrid SC device based on the flexible NiS/Ni3S2 electrode delivered a capacity of 40.4 mAh g−1 at a current density of 2 A g−1 and representing a maximum energy density of 32.3 Wh kg−1 at an impressive power density of 1.6 kW kg−1. Furthermore, the device provided excellent electrochemical stability with a capacity retention of 86.2%, even after a 120-h floating test. Hence, the heterostructure NiS/Ni3S2 with interlaced nanosheets morphology should be considered as promising binder-free flexible electrode materials for next-generation energy storage applications.

MXene-MoS2 heterostructure collaborated with catalyzed hairpin assembly for label-free electrochemical detection of microRNA-21

Abnormal expression of microRNAs is greatly associated with the occurrence of various cancer types, revealing great potential of microRNA as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Herein, a MXene-MoS2 heterostructure enhancing electrochemical biosensor coupled with catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) amplification approach for label-free determination of microRNA-21 (miR-21) was successfully assembled. In particular, the unique micro-nano heterostructure with large specific area and favorable electroconductivity exhibited the ability of excellent confinement effect. Thus, rendered the MXene-MoS2 heterostructure the ability to trigger more target recycling reaction, giving new vitality to the traditional CHA amplification method. Meanwhile, thionine (Thi) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were anchoring at the surface of MXene-MoS2 heterostructure, respectively, empowered the sensor the capability of capture probes fixation and miR-21 label-free determination. When numerous electronegative double-stranded DNA generated, the electron transfer was greatly hindered, resulting in signal decrease. Accordingly, the design denoted a broad dynamic range from 100 fM to 100 nM and a detection limit of about 26 fM, comparable or lower than previous reported methods for miR-21 detection. Furthermore, the sensing platform supplied satisfactory selectivity, reproducibility and stability towards the miR-21 detection. The real sample determination also showed a promising performance under clinical circumstance. Finally, from the clinical standpoint, the proposed biosensor is a considerable platform toward early disease detection and monitoring.

The Li ion transport behavior in the defect graphene composite Li3N SEI: a first-principle calculation

An artificial solid electrolyte interface (SEI) of a graphene composite lithium salt can inhibit the growth of dendrites by driving the lithium deposition behavior on the surface of the lithium metal anode. The first-principle method was used to calculate the graphene/lithium nitride SEI, including the structural form and stability of intrinsic (G-Li3N), single-vacancy defect (SVG-Li3N), and double-vacancy defect (DVG-Li3N) graphene heterostructure. The adsorption and migration behavior of lithium ions on the heterostructure surface and the interface were also calculated. This study showed that the modification of double-vacancy defect graphene improved the stability of the heterostructure, and the adhesion work of the composite SEI is the highest. The modification of defective graphene increases the adsorption energy of lithium atoms on the surface and interface of the heterostructure: the strongest adsorption of Li atoms on the single-vacancy defect region of the heterostructure, the opposition migration pathway of Li atoms on the surface and interface of the DVG-Li3N heterostructure, and the decrease diffusion energy of Li atoms on the surface and interface of the DVG-Li3N heterostructure. A composite layered SEI of graphene and Li3N was constructed to inhibit dendritic growth by adjusting the deposition behavior of lithium atoms.

Preparation of superhydrophobic Ag/Fe2O3/ZnO surfaces with photocatalytic activity

ABSTRACT Combining photocatalytic and superhydrophobicity characteristics on the same surface remains a challenge. In this work it was overcome that challenge by fabricated Ag/Fe2O3/ZnO heterostructure surfaces via using a simple precipitation method; stearic acid (SA) was then employed to improve the roughness and increase the water contact angles (WCA) of the surfaces. The effects of SA and Ag/Fe2O3 on superhydrophobicity and photocatalytic characteristics were investigated. The wettability measurements confirmed that the WCA of the surfaces increased from 60 ± 2° to 154 ± 2° after modification with SA due to the formation of a hierarchical structure. To evaluate the photocatalytic performance of samples, methylene blue (MB) dye was irradiated under visible light with quick photodecomposition of MB after 80 min of irradiation. Finally, this innovative approach can be utilized to develop scaled-up self-cleaning applications.

Effect of PECVD SiNx deposition process parameters on electrical properties of SiNx/AlGaN/GaN structures

The effect of parameters of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processes for SiNx film fabrication on the electrical parameters of dielectric/АlGaN/GaN structures has been studied. The effect of growing film composition, additional heterostructure surface treatment with nitrogen plasma before dielectric deposition and HF biasing during treatment on the parameters of the С–V and I–V curves of SiNx/АlGaN/GaN structures has been analyzed. We show that films with nitrogen to silicon concentration ratios of 60 and 40% and a high oxygen content exhibit a decrease in the positive fixed charge in the structures although the I–V curves of the structures exhibit current oscillations. Information has been reported on the effect of PECVD process mode on current oscillation parameters, e.g. period and amplitude, and length of I–V curve section in which oscillations occur. Possible explanation of these oscillations has been suggested. Additional nitrogen plasma treatment of heterostructure surface before monosilane supply to the chamber changes the magnitude and sign of fixed charge and reduces the free carrier concentration in the 2D gas channel of SiNx/АlGaN/GaN heterostructures. Experimental evidence has been provided for the effect of PECVD process parameters and surface preparation on the electrical parameters of the heterostructures grown.

Rational Design of a ZIF‐67/Cobalt‐Glycolate Heterostructure with Improved Conductivity for High Cycling Stability and High‐Capacity Lithium Storage

AbstractCobalt‐glycolate (Co‐glycolate) is a kind of layered coordination polymer with abundant electrochemically active sites but low conductivity. The fabrication of heterostructures is a novel strategy to enhance the electrical conductivity. Herein, Co‐glycolate serves as a host substrate for the in situ growth of guest ZIF‐67 to build MOFs‐on‐CPs heterostructures (named Co‐glycolate /ZIF‐67) via a simple ligand‐exchange method as an anode for lithium‐ion batteries. A heterojunction interface with distorted lattice between the Co‐glycolate phase and the ZIF‐67 phase can be observed. Theoretical calculations and experimental results simultaneously prove that the formed heterojunction reduces the band gap and enhances the conductivity. Compared with both single components, optimized Co‐glycolate/ZIF‐67 shows a higher capacity and better cycling and rate performances due to the improved charge‐transfer rate of the heterostructure. Its specific capacity remains at 652 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles at 1 A g−1. These excellent electrochemical properties can be due to the smaller size, rough surface, and strong combination of a unique heterostructure as well as to the greatly reduced band gap of the individual components. A lithium‐storage mechanism for Co‐glycolate/ZIF‐67 was proposed. This work provides a new strategy for building MOFs‐on‐CPs heterostructures to improve the electrochemical performance of metal‐glycolate‐based electrode materials for energy‐storage and conversion systems.

A novel Hf2CO2/WS2 van der Waals heterostructure as a potential candidate for overall water splitting photocatalyst

In this study, we propose an innovative Hf2CO2/WS2 heterostructure with excellent photocatalytic performance for water splitting based on first-principles calculations. The binding energy, and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations exhibit this material's excellent ambient stability. Furthermore, the band structure confirms that the Hf2CO2/WS2 heterostructure possesses the intrinsic type-II semiconductor and are well satisfied with the requirements of redox energy level in water splitting reaction. Meanwhile, the charge transfer occurs from Hf2CO2 to WS2 monolayer, which further induces the separation of photogenerated carriers and prolong the lifetime of carriers. Dramatically high visible-light absorption (~6.3 × 105 cm−1) and carrier mobility (~2.2 × 103 cm2 V-1 s-1) are found, which means that the heterostructure has adequate motive force to make the photogenerated carriers separate into different monolayers quickly before recombination. Moreover, according to Gibbs free energy calculation, HER and OER can be triggered spontaneously under the driving of external potential. The results confirm that the thermodynamic feasibility of water splitting on Hf2CO2/WS2 heterostructure surface. Hence, these distinctive features endow Hf2CO2/WS2 heterostructure with the potential ability of photocatalytic water splitting, which provides a potential avenue for the future experimental project.

The construction of stable Ru/RuO2 porous reticular heterostructure with highly efficient electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution reaction

A facile construction of Ru/RuO2 composite with porous reticular structure (denoted as Ru/RuO2-PRS) by controllable pyrolysis of Ru3+ coordinated cyanoguanidine was presented for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The Ru/RuO2 heterostructure was identified in Ru/RuO2-PRS. Taking the advantages of the Ru/RuO2 heterostructure and large specific surface area, Ru/RuO2-PRS exhibits much more improved OER activity with much lower onset potential and overpotential to reach the current density of 10 mA cm−2 compared with RuO2 porous powder and RuO2 nano-particles counterparts in both acidic and alkaline solution. Specifically, Ru/RuO2-PRS exhibits much improved durability because the unique Ru/RuO2 heterostructure relieves the dissolution of RuO2 at high anodic potential that has been the bottleneck of Ru-based catalysts for OER, especially in acidic electrolyte. This study provides a new strategy to promote the OER application in acidic solution.