Interfacial electronic engineering of Ru/FeRu nanoparticles as efficient trifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting and Zn-air battery

Rational design of multi-functional electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical to energy conversion and storage technologies such as water splitting and metal-air batteries. However, explorations of specific interface structures for catalysts are still limited and challenging. Herein, a novel core-shell architecture comprising of Ru and FeRu hybrid enwrapped with a carbon shell anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon substrate (Ru-FeRu@C/NC) was constructed. Specifically, the interfacial electronic interaction between Ru and FeRu regulate the electron configuration and broaden the electron transfer pathway to boost its electrocatalytic performance. Particularly, Ru-FeRu@C/NC required ultralow overpotentials of 23 and 345 mV to drive a current density of 10 mA cm-2 for HER and OER, respectively, and a positive half-wave potential of 0.90 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) for ORR. Furthermore, an electrocatalytic water splitting cell powered by a Zn-air battery was successfully fabricated using Ru-FeRu@C/NC as the one-in-all electrocatalyst. The present work paves the way for design and construction of efficient multifunctional electrocatalyst in energy conversion and storage.

Automated summary

The rational design and construction of multifunctional electrocatalysts is crucial for energy conversion and storage technologies. In this study, a novel core-shell architecture comprising of Ru and FeRu hybrid wrapped with a carbon shell anchored on a nitrogen-doped carbon substrate was developed. The electrocatalytic performance of Ru-FeRu@C/NC was enhanced by the interfacial electronic interaction between Ru and FeRu, resulting in significantly low overpotentials for HER, OER, and a positive half-wave potential for ORR. Furthermore, this catalyst was successfully applied in an electrocatalytic water splitting cell powered by a Zn-air battery.