Ru Nanoparticles Decorated on 2D MoO<sub>2</sub> Nanosheets as Efficient and Durable Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in a Wide pH Range
Nannan Yuan, Qianqian Jiang, Zexing Wu, Jianguo Tang
Abstract
Developing highly active and stable Pt-free electrocatalysts to reduce the overpotential of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great significance for future energy technologies. In this study, we present a facile and scalable hydrothermal pyrolysis procedure for the controlled synthesis of two-dimensional (2D)-structured, nitrogen-doped carbon and Ru nanoparticles (2D-MoO2/Ru/NC) for HER. Benefiting from the abovementioned merits, the designed 2D-MoO2/Ru/NC electrocatalyst presents excellent catalytic activity for HER in a wide pH range, such as 68 mV@10 mA·cm–2 in 0.5 M H2SO4, 22 mV@10 mA·cm–2 in 1.0 M phosphate buffered saline, and 25 mV@10 mA·cm–2 in 1.0 M KOH. Moreover, the developed electrocatalyst also presents outstanding long-term durability in all pH values. Impressively, the synthesized 2D-MoO2/Ru/NC exhibits outstanding catalytic performance in neutral and alkaline electrolytes relative to Pt/C. The developed synthetic strategy in this work can also be applied to other low-cost and high-efficient alternatives to Pt-based catalysts for HER.