Ru-CoO heterostructured nanoparticles supported on nitrogen and sulfur codoped graphene nanosheets as effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline media

Production of clean hydrogen energy from water splitting is vital for the future fuel industry, and nanocompos-ites have emerged as effective catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this study, Ru-CoO@SNG nanocomposites are prepared by controlled pyrolysis where Ru-CoO heterostructured nanoparticles are sup-ported on nitrogen and sulfur codoped graphene oxide nanosheets. With a large surface area, the obtained com-posites exhibit a remarkable electrocatalytic activity toward HER in 1.0 M KOH with an overpotential of only -90 mV to reach the current density of 10 mA cm-2, in comparison to -60 mV for commercial Pt/C bench-mark, along with high stability. Mechanistically, codoping of sulfur and nitrogen facilitates the dispersion of the nanoparticles, and the formation of Ru-CoO heterostructures increases the active site density, reduces the electron-transfer kinetics and boosts the catalytic performance. Results from this study highlight the unique potential of structural engineering in enhancing the electrocatalytic performance of heterostructured nanocomposites.

Automated summary

In this study, Ru-CoO@SNG nanocomposites were prepared by controlled pyrolysis and exhibited remarkable electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction. The codoped nitrogen and sulfur graphene oxide nanosheets facilitated the dispersion of nanoparticles, while the Ru-CoO heterostructures increased the active site density and improved the catalytic performance.