Electrodeposition of Ruthenium onto Cobalt - Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Derived from a Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

초록

Although platinum is currently a state-of-the-art catalyst for electrochemical hydrogen production, its scarcity and cost restrict its use in practical processes. Therefore, the design and development of Pt-free electrocatalysts with efficient hydrogen production performance, in terms of activity and durability, have been at the forefront of sustainable HER catalyst engineering. In this study, a ruthenium-based electrocatalyst comprising a Ru component integrated into a cobalt-based metal - organic framework (MOF)-derived Co-nitrogen-doped carbon template (Ru/Co-NC) was synthesized via a multiple-step synthetic approach. The optimal Co-NC support benefits the support - metal interaction for Ru incorporation, enhancing the electrocatalytic HER performance. Importantly, the Ru/Co-NC catalysts require an overpotential of only 45 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 43 mV dec-1, and surpass the performance of commercial Pt/C at a high current density of 100 mA cm-2. Its unique structural features endow Ru/Co-NC with good long-term HER stability with negligible changes after accelerated degradation tests. This work offers an effective method for preparing MOF-derived nanocatalysts with compositional and structural control for industrial HER requirements.

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