Facet modulation of nickel-ruthenium nanocrystals for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science Vol. 633; pp. 275 - 283
• Main Authors: Pang, Qing-Qing, Bai, Xue, Du, Xin, Zhang, Shuo, Liu, Zhong-Yi, Yue, Xin-Zheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Density functional theory; Electrocatalysts; Facet modulation; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Ni-Ru nanocrystal; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Density functional theory; Ni-Ru nanocrystal; Electrocatalysts; Facet modulation
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.11.082

[Display omitted] •Incorporated Ni induces the formation of highly active (101) facet of Ru.•Incorporated Ni restrains the agglomeration of Ru nanocrystals.•Incorporated Ni modulates the electron structure of Ru and increases active sites.•Incorporated Ni endows Ru nanocrystals with very low HER overpotentials. Constructing highly active electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in both alkaline and acidic media is essential for achieving a sustainable energy economy. Here, a facile ethylene glycol reduction strategy was employed to design the nickel-ruthenium nanocrystals (Ni-Ru NC) with an exposed highly active Ru (101) facet as an efficient electrocatalyst for HER. Testings show Ni-Ru NC outperforms the benchmark catalyst Pt/C by delivering extraordinarily low overpotentials of 21.1 and 70.9 mV to drive 10 mA cm−2 in acidic and alkaline solutions, respectively. The results of experimental and theoretical studies suggest that Ni can modulate the electronic structure of the Ru NC and optimize the hydrogen adsorption free energy on Ru’s surface, which accelerates the charge transfer kinetics and enhances the HER performance. The study support the potential application of facet-modulated Ru-based HER eleccatalyst in an alkaline environment.