Inner Co Synergizing Outer Ru Supported on Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient pH-Universal Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis

Abstract

Exploring highly active but inexpensive electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of critical importance for hydrogen production from electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we report a multicomponent catalyst with exceptional activity and durability for HER, in which cobalt nanoparticles were in-situ confined inside bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) while ultralow ruthenium loading (~ 2.6 µg per electrode area ~ cm−2) is uniformly deposited on their exterior walls (Co@CNTsǀRu). The atomic-scale structural investigations and theoretical calculations indicate that the confined inner Co and loaded outer Ru would induce charge redistribution and a synergistic electron coupling, not only optimizing the adsorption energy of H intermediates (ΔG H*) but also facilitating the electron/mass transfer. The as-developed Co@CNTsǀRu composite catalyst requires overpotentials of only 10, 32, and 63 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline, acidic and neutral media, respectively, representing top-level catalytic activity among all reported HER catalysts. The current work may open a new insight into the rational design of carbon-supported metal catalysts for practical applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]