The design and synthesis of high‐performance and low‐cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),a key half‐reaction in water electrolysis,are essential.Owing to their modest hydrogen adsorption ...The design and synthesis of high‐performance and low‐cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),a key half‐reaction in water electrolysis,are essential.Owing to their modest hydrogen adsorption energy,ruthenium(Ru)‐based nanomaterials are considered outstanding candidates to replace the expensive platinum(Pt)‐based HER electrocatalysts.In this study,we developed an adsorption‐pyrolysis method to construct nitrogen(N)‐doped graphene aerogel(N‐GA)‐supported ultrafine Ru nanocrystal(Ru‐NC)nanocomposites(Ru‐NCs/N‐GA).The particle size of the Ru‐NCs and the conductivity of the N‐GA substrate can be controlled by varying the pyrolysis temperature.Optimal experiments reveal revealed that 10 wt%Ru‐NCs/N‐GA nanocomposites require overpotentials of only 52 and 36 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm^(−2) in 1 mol/L HClO4 and 1 mol/L KOH electrolytes for HER,respectively,which is comparable to 20 wt%Pt/C electrocatalyst.Benefiting from the ultrafine size and uniform dispersion of the Ru‐NCs,the synergy between Ru and the highly conductive substrate,and the anchoring effect of the N atom,the Ru‐NCs/N‐GA nanocomposites exhibit excellent activity and durability in the pH‐universal HER,thereby opening a new avenue for the production of commercial HER electrocatalysts.展开更多
文摘The design and synthesis of high‐performance and low‐cost electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),a key half‐reaction in water electrolysis,are essential.Owing to their modest hydrogen adsorption energy,ruthenium(Ru)‐based nanomaterials are considered outstanding candidates to replace the expensive platinum(Pt)‐based HER electrocatalysts.In this study,we developed an adsorption‐pyrolysis method to construct nitrogen(N)‐doped graphene aerogel(N‐GA)‐supported ultrafine Ru nanocrystal(Ru‐NC)nanocomposites(Ru‐NCs/N‐GA).The particle size of the Ru‐NCs and the conductivity of the N‐GA substrate can be controlled by varying the pyrolysis temperature.Optimal experiments reveal revealed that 10 wt%Ru‐NCs/N‐GA nanocomposites require overpotentials of only 52 and 36 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm^(−2) in 1 mol/L HClO4 and 1 mol/L KOH electrolytes for HER,respectively,which is comparable to 20 wt%Pt/C electrocatalyst.Benefiting from the ultrafine size and uniform dispersion of the Ru‐NCs,the synergy between Ru and the highly conductive substrate,and the anchoring effect of the N atom,the Ru‐NCs/N‐GA nanocomposites exhibit excellent activity and durability in the pH‐universal HER,thereby opening a new avenue for the production of commercial HER electrocatalysts.
