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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 Zhang2Jiahao Cai1Peng 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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Graphical Abstract

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.

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Nano Research
Pages 5134-5142
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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Received: 13 October 2021
Revised: 10 January 2022
Accepted: 11 January 2022
Published: 28 March 2022
© Tsinghua University Press 2022
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