Promoting mechanism of the Ru-integration effect in RuCo bimetallic nanoparticles for enhancing water splitting performance

This research, led by Zihao Xing and Jinfa Chang from Northeast Normal University, delves into the promoting mechanism of the Ru-integration effect in RuCo bimetallic nanoparticles for enhancing water splitting performance.

The study aims to address the issue of high overpotentials in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during water electrolysis, which has hindered the development of this zero-carbon-emission hydrogen-generation process. Although precious metals like Ru, Ir, and their oxides are often used as anode catalysts and Pt as the cathode catalyst, and Ru-based catalysts show promise due to their similar Ru–H and Pt–H bond strengths and relatively good OER and HER properties at a lower cost, there is still a need for more cost-effective and efficient Ru-based catalysts.

The team published their paper in Nano Research on February 19, 2025.

The research team synthesized RuCo bimetallic nanoparticles with atomically-dispersed Ru on nitrogen-doped carbon (RuCo@NC). They found that the Ru content in RuCo@NC is crucial for both HER and OER. The optimized catalyst, RuCo@NC-1, showed excellent performance. In alkaline conditions, it only needed overpotentials of 217 mV for OER and 96 mV for HER to reach a current density of 10 mA‧cm⁻².

Through advanced characterizations such as spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in-situ Raman spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations, it was revealed that Ru has multiple important functions in the catalyst. Firstly, Ru limits the growth of large Co nanoparticles and helps form carbon nanotubes, which greatly improves mass/electron transfer. Secondly, Ru not only adjusts the surface properties of Co but also serves as an active site for HER.

When used as an overall water-splitting catalyst, RuCo@NC only required a potential of 1.62 V to reach a current density of 100 mA‧cm⁻². This result not only deepens the understanding of the enhancement mechanism of Ru-based bimetal-carbon composite materials for OER performance but also offers a new research approach for designing highly efficient overall water-splitting catalysts.

This research has far-reaching implications. As the global community seeks sustainable and efficient energy solutions, the development of advanced electrocatalysts for water splitting is vital. The findings of this study may contribute to the commercialization of more efficient and cost-effective water electrolysis technologies, bringing the world closer to a hydrogen powered future.

The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the Science and Technology Development Plan Project of Jilin Province, China. The researchers also expressed their appreciation to the staff at the BL17W1 beamline of the National Facility for Protein Science in Shanghai for their help during data collection.

About the Authors

Mengtian Huo: A 2023 Ph.D. candidate, currently studying in the School of Chemistry at Northeast Normal University (Supervisor: Professor Chang Jinfa). His research direction is low/non-precious metal water electrolysis. He has published several papers in journals such as Adv. Energy Mater., Nano Res., Sci. China Mater., and Green Carbon.

Zihao Xing: Associate professor and master's supervisor at the School of Chemistry of Northeast Normal University. His main research direction is the design and controllable synthesis of low-noble/non-noble metal electrocatalysts for fuel cells. He has published over 20 research papers, and his representative papers are published in Adv. Mater., Adv. Energy Mater., Chem. Eng. J., Nano Rese., J. Mater. Chem. B, and Chem. Comm..

Jinfa Chang: Professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Chemistry of Northeast Normal University. His research interests focus on solving core technologies and key scientific problems in the process of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Related results have been published in Nat. Energy, Nat. Commun., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., Adv. Mater., Joule, Energy Environ. Sci., Adv. Energy Mater., etc., which have been cited more than 4,100 times, and his personal H - index is 37.

Research group homepage: https://www.x-mol.com/groups/chang-lab

Personal homepage: https://js.nenu.edu.cn/teacher/index_fix.php

About Nano Research

Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 17 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 7,000 articles. In 2023 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2023 IF is 9.6 (9.0, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.

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