Ni-Doped RuPt Nanoalloy on Acid-Treated Carbon for pH-Universal Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Although alloying Pt with Ru has recently been reported as an advanced catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), their electrocatalytic performance and high cost are major limitations of the electrochemical water-splitting technology. Therefore, the study herein reports a doping strategy of Ni atoms into the RuPt lattice that not only further reduces the noble metal content but also enhances the overall HER efficiency via the formed synergistic effects. With boosting reaction kinetics, the as-made ternary alloy catalyst exhibits improved HER efficiency, achieving a low overpotential/Tafel slope of 22.14 mV/23.92 mV dec−1 in the 0.5 m H2SO4 and 46.52 mV/37.82 mV dec−1 in the 1.0 m KOH electrolyte. Furthermore, the NiRuPt/Activated XC-72 shows high TOFs (4.13 H2 s−1 at 50 mV/3.88 H2 s−1 at 100 mV in acidic/alkaline electrolyte) and great long-term stability. This study suggests that the development of Pt-based ternary nanoalloys is an attractive strategy for using low-precious metal-content catalysts for electrochemical energy-related technologies.