The synergistic effect of Hf-O-Ru bonds and oxygen vacancies in Ru/HfO2 for enhanced hydrogen evolution

Guangkai Li; Haeseong Jang; Shangguo Liu; Zijian Li; Min Gyu Kim; Qing Qin; Xien Liu; Jaephil Cho

doi:10.1038/s41467-022-28947-9

The synergistic effect of Hf-O-Ru bonds and oxygen vacancies in Ru/HfO₂ for enhanced hydrogen evolution

Guangkai Li
, Haeseong Jang
, Shangguo Liu
, Zijian Li
, Min Gyu Kim
, Qing Qin^*
, Xien Liu^*
, Jaephil Cho^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Chemistry

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

303 Citations (Scopus)

59 Downloads (CityUHK Scholars)

Abstract

Ru nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). At present, most of Ru nanoparticles-based HER electrocatalysts with high activity are supported by heteroatom-doped carbon substrates. Few metal oxides with large band gap (more than 5 eV) as the substrates of Ru nanoparticles are employed for the HER. By using large band gap metal oxides substrates, we can distinguish the contribution of Ru nanoparticles from the substrates. Here, a highly efficient Ru/HfO₂ composite is developed by tuning numbers of Ru-O-Hf bonds and oxygen vacancies, resulting in a 20-fold enhancement in mass activity over commercial Pt/C in an alkaline medium. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that strong metal-support interaction via Ru-O-Hf bonds and the oxygen vacancies in the supported Ru samples synergistically lower the energy barrier for water dissociation to improve catalytic activities.

Original language	English
Article number	1270
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	13
Online published	11 Mar 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28947-9
Publication status	Published - 2022

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

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@article{b2a0879415424a81bbc0726ecded8a0e,

title = "The synergistic effect of Hf-O-Ru bonds and oxygen vacancies in Ru/HfO2 for enhanced hydrogen evolution",

abstract = "Ru nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). At present, most of Ru nanoparticles-based HER electrocatalysts with high activity are supported by heteroatom-doped carbon substrates. Few metal oxides with large band gap (more than 5 eV) as the substrates of Ru nanoparticles are employed for the HER. By using large band gap metal oxides substrates, we can distinguish the contribution of Ru nanoparticles from the substrates. Here, a highly efficient Ru/HfO2 composite is developed by tuning numbers of Ru-O-Hf bonds and oxygen vacancies, resulting in a 20-fold enhancement in mass activity over commercial Pt/C in an alkaline medium. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that strong metal-support interaction via Ru-O-Hf bonds and the oxygen vacancies in the supported Ru samples synergistically lower the energy barrier for water dissociation to improve catalytic activities.",

author = "Guangkai Li and Haeseong Jang and Shangguo Liu and Zijian Li and Kim, \{Min Gyu\} and Qing Qin and Xien Liu and Jaephil Cho",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1038/s41467-022-28947-9",

language = "English",

volume = "13",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The synergistic effect of Hf-O-Ru bonds and oxygen vacancies in Ru/HfO2 for enhanced hydrogen evolution

AU - Li, Guangkai

AU - Jang, Haeseong

AU - Liu, Shangguo

AU - Li, Zijian

AU - Kim, Min Gyu

AU - Qin, Qing

AU - Liu, Xien

AU - Cho, Jaephil

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Ru nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). At present, most of Ru nanoparticles-based HER electrocatalysts with high activity are supported by heteroatom-doped carbon substrates. Few metal oxides with large band gap (more than 5 eV) as the substrates of Ru nanoparticles are employed for the HER. By using large band gap metal oxides substrates, we can distinguish the contribution of Ru nanoparticles from the substrates. Here, a highly efficient Ru/HfO2 composite is developed by tuning numbers of Ru-O-Hf bonds and oxygen vacancies, resulting in a 20-fold enhancement in mass activity over commercial Pt/C in an alkaline medium. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that strong metal-support interaction via Ru-O-Hf bonds and the oxygen vacancies in the supported Ru samples synergistically lower the energy barrier for water dissociation to improve catalytic activities.

AB - Ru nanoparticles have been demonstrated to be highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). At present, most of Ru nanoparticles-based HER electrocatalysts with high activity are supported by heteroatom-doped carbon substrates. Few metal oxides with large band gap (more than 5 eV) as the substrates of Ru nanoparticles are employed for the HER. By using large band gap metal oxides substrates, we can distinguish the contribution of Ru nanoparticles from the substrates. Here, a highly efficient Ru/HfO2 composite is developed by tuning numbers of Ru-O-Hf bonds and oxygen vacancies, resulting in a 20-fold enhancement in mass activity over commercial Pt/C in an alkaline medium. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that strong metal-support interaction via Ru-O-Hf bonds and the oxygen vacancies in the supported Ru samples synergistically lower the energy barrier for water dissociation to improve catalytic activities.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85126243715

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U2 - 10.1038/s41467-022-28947-9

DO - 10.1038/s41467-022-28947-9

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

C2 - 35277494

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 13

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

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ER -