Ru/RuO<sub>2</sub> Nanoparticle Composites with N-Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide as Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen and Oxygen Evolution
Xuyun Gao, Jing Chen, Xuzhuo Sun, Baofan Wu, Bo Li, Zhichao Ning, Jun Li, Ning Wang
Abstract
Engineering nanocomposites with interfaces was already found to be an efficient method for designing water-splitting catalysts. In this study, a rationally designed 3D Ru/RuO2@N-rGO hierarchical porous heterocatalyst containing abundant interfaces was obtained via a hydrothermal-calcining strategy for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In the synthesis process, polypyrrole helped the self-assembled GO to form a hybrid aerogel network, in situ reducing the Ru salt as reductant and doping graphene as N precursor. CO2, which was in situ produced via the reaction between Na2SO4 and C, could partially or totally oxidize metal Ru to regulate the composition of Ru/RuO2 nanoparticles. Benefiting from the large surface area and a high number of bifunctional active sites coupled interfaces, the as-obtained Ru/RuO2@N-rGO heterostructure catalyst revealed high HER/OER activities in 1.0 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions, respectively. The present work could provide a way to engineer Ru/RuO2 nanoparticles in 3D electrocatalysts to boost HER/OER performances.