Temperature-controlled synthesis of heterostructured Ru-Ru2P nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanofibers for highly efficient hydrogen production

Developing highly efficient, cost-effective, and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of considerable importance but remains challenging. Herein, we report the fabrication of a robust Ru-based electrocatalyst, which comprises heterostructured Ru-Ru2P nanoparticles that are embedded in the N,P-codoped carbon nanofibers (CNFs), through a synthetic strategy involving electrospinning and temperature-controlled pyrolysis treatment. The as-prepared Ru-Ru2P catalyst (Ru-Ru2P@CNFs) shows excellent HER catalytic activities with low overpotentials of 11 and 14 mV in acidic and alkaline media, respectively, to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm(-2), which are superior to the individual components of pure Ru and Ru2P catalysts. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate the existence of electronic coupling effect between Ru and Ru2P at the heterointerfaces, leading to a well-modulated electronic structure with optimized hydrogen adsorption strength and enhanced electrical conductivity for efficient HER electrocatalysis. In addition, the overall synthetic strategy can be generalized for the synthesis of a series of transitional metal phosphide-based nanofibers, thereby holding a remarkable capacity for various potential applications.

Automated summary

In this work, a highly efficient Ru-based electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was fabricated. The catalyst exhibited excellent HER performance in both acidic and alkaline media. The study also revealed the electronic coupling effect between Ru and Ru2P, and the enhanced catalytic activity of the heterointerfaces. Furthermore, the synthesis strategy could be extended to other transition metal phosphide-based nanofibers.