Highly Dispersed Ru Nanoparticles on Boron‐Doped Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<i><sub>x</sub></i> (MXene) Nanosheets for Synergistic Enhancement of Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Munkhjargal Bat‐Erdene, Munkhbayar Batmunkh, Batjargal Sainbileg, Michitoshi Hayashi, Abdulaziz S. R. Bati, Jiadong Qin, Huijun Zhao, Yu Lin Zhong, Joseph G. Shapter
Abstract
Abstract 2D‐layered materials have attracted increasing attention as low‐cost supports for developing active catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In addition, atomically thin Ti 3 C 2 T x (MXene) nanosheets have surface termination groups (T x : F, O, and OH), which are active sites for effective functionalization. In this work, heteroatom (boron)‐doped Ti 3 C 2 T x (MXene) nanosheets are developed as an efficient solid support to host ultrasmall ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles for electrocatalytic HER. The quantum‐mechanical first‐principles calculations and electrochemical tests reveal that the B‐doping onto 2D MXene nanosheets can largely improve the intermediate H* adsorption kinetics and reduce the charge‐transfer resistance toward the HER, leading to increased reactivity of active sites and favorable electrode kinetics. Importantly, the newly designed electrocatalyst based on Ru nanoparticles supported on B‐doped MXene (Ru@B–Ti 3 C 2 T x ) nanosheets shows a remarkable catalytic activity with low overpotentials of 62.9 and 276.9 mV to drive 10 and 100 mA cm −2 , respectively, for the HER, while exhibiting excellent cycling stabilities. Moreover, according to the theoretical calculations, Ru@B–Ti 3 C 2 T x exhibits a near‐zero value of Gibbs free energy (Δ G H* = 0.002 eV) for the HER. This work introduces a facile strategy to functionalize MXene for use as a solid support for efficient electrocatalysts.