Ruthenium Oxide Clusters Immobilized in Cationic Vacancies of 2D Titanium Oxide for Chlorine Evolution Reaction

The development of dimensionally stable anodes (DSAs) has made the chlorine evolution reaction (CER) the most important industrial anode reaction since the 1960s. However, the preparation of DSA depends on the extensive use of precious metals, Ru and Ir, which are expensive and scarce. Herein, a cationic defect adsorption-oxidation anchoring strategy to immobilize oxidized sub-nano ruthenium clusters on 2D low-crystallinity titanium oxide (2D TiOx) substrate is reported. Through the metal oxide-support interaction, the 2D TiOx alters the electronic structure of ruthenium oxide (RuOx), improving its activity, selectivity, and stability for CER. Specifically, the mass activity of the RuOx/2D TiOx electrode is 26.5 and 143.5 times higher than that of the state-of-the-art commercial RuO2 and DSA, respectively, at an overpotential of 100 mV. Moreover, the selectivity of the RuOx/2D TiOx electrode to CER is approximately 96.5%, and it exhibits remarkable durability lasting for over 210 h. Therefore, the 2D TiOx substrate holds significant potential for improving the dispersion, active site density, and atomic utilization of oxidized sub-nano noble metal clusters. Oxidized sub-nano ruthenium clusters are immobilized on 2D low-crystallinity titanium oxide (2D TiOx) substrate via a cationic defect adsorption-oxidation anchoring strategy. Through the metal oxide-support interaction, the 2D TiOx alters the electronic structure of ruthenium oxide (RuOx), improving its activity, selectivity, and stability for chlorine evolution reaction.image (c) 2023 WILEY-VCH GmbH

Automated summary

The development of dimensionally stable anodes (DSAs) has made the chlorine evolution reaction (CER) the most important industrial anode reaction since the 1960s. However, the preparation of DSA relies on the use of expensive and scarce precious metals. In this study, a cationic defect adsorption-oxidation anchoring strategy is employed to immobilize oxidized sub-nano ruthenium clusters on a 2D low-crystallinity titanium oxide (2D TiOx) substrate, leading to enhanced activity, selectivity, and stability for CER.