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Research Article

Ru/NC heterointerfaces boost energy-efficient production of green H2 over a wide pH range

Qifeng Yang1,§, Botao Zhu1,§, Feng Wang1,§, Cunjin Zhang2, Jiahao Cai1, Peng Jin2(), Lai Feng1()
Soochow Institute for Energy and Materials Innovation (SIEMIS), School of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China

§ Qifeng Yang, Botao Zhu, and Feng Wang contributed equally to this work.

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This work demonstrates that the mesoporous nanospheres with abundant Ru/NC heterointerfacesperform well as bifunctional electrocatalysts towards hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) assistedelectrochemical water splitting over a wide pH range due to boosted hydrogen evolutionreaction and HzOR kinetics. As a result, a continuous H2 production can be achieved by usinga single-junction silicon solar cell as the power source.

Abstract

Green hydrogen (H2) is an import energy carrier due to the zero-carbon emission in the energy cycle. Nevertheless, green H2 production based on electrolyzer and photovoltaics (EZ/PV) remains limited due to the highly pH-dependant and energy exhausting overall water splitting. Herein, we report a series of Ru-nanocluster-modified mesoporous nanospheres (Rux@mONC) as pH-universal electrocatalysts towards both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR). The optimal catalyst Ru20@mONC realizes remarkable catalytic activity and stability towards both HER and HzOR regardless of electrolytes. As a result, the electrode pair of Ru20@mONC//Ru20@mONC requires low cell-potentials of 39/429, 405/926, and 164/1,141 mV to achieve the current density of 10/100 mA·cm−2, as well as the long-term stability for HzOR assisted electrochemical water splitting in alkaline, acidic, and neutral media, respectively. Those performances are more promising compared to the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts so far reported. A proof-of-concept test demonstrates an efficient production of green H2 powered by a single-junction silicon solar cell, which may inspire the use of a cost-effective EZ/PV system. Furthermore, a combined spectroscopic and theoretical study verifies the formation of abundant Ru/NC heterointerfaces in Ru20@mONC, which not only contributes to the balancing of H* adsorption/desorption in HER but also facilitates the *N2H2 dehydrogenation in HzOR.

Keywords

energy-efficient hydrogen productionhydrazine oxidationheterointerfacedehydrogenationphotovoltaics-electrochemistry coupling

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Nano Research
Volume 15 Issue 6,
June 2022
Pages 5134-5142
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-022-4148-2
Cite this article:
Yang Q, Zhu B, Wang F, et al. Ru/NC heterointerfaces boost energy-efficient production of green H2 over a wide pH range. Nano Research, 2022, 15(6): 5134-5142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4148-2
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