RuRh Bimetallene Nanoring as High-efficiency pH-Universal Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Electrocatalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a vital and demanding, yet challenging, task to produce clean energy applications. Here, the RuRh2 bimetallene nanoring with rich structural defects is designed and successfully synthesized by a mixed-solvent strategy, displaying ascendant HER performance with high mass activity at -0.05 and -0.07 V, separately higher than that of the commercial Pt catalyst. Also, it maintains steady hydrogen bubble evolution even after 30 000 potential cycles in acid media. Furthermore, the RuRh2 bimetallene nanoring shows an outstanding activity in both alkaline and neutral media, outperforming that of Pt catalysts and other reported HER catalysts. A combination of atomic-scale structure observation and density functional theory calculations demonstrates that both the grain boundaries and symmetry breaking of RuRh2 bimetallene cannot only weaken the adsorption strength of atomic hydrogen, but also facilitate the transfer of electrons and the adsorption of reactants, further boosting the HER electrocatalytic performance in all pH values.

Automated summary

RuRh2 bimetallene nanoring with rich structural defects exhibits excellent HER performance in various media, showing high activity in acidic conditions and maintaining stability even after prolonged cycles, as well as outstanding performance in alkaline and neutral media. The atomic-scale structure observation and density functional theory calculations reveal that the grain boundaries and symmetry breaking of RuRh2 bimetallene contribute to its enhanced electrocatalytic performance by weakening adsorption strength of atomic hydrogen and facilitating electron transfer and reactant adsorption.