Methanol-assisted energy-efficient water splitting over rambutan-like Au@PdRu core–shell nanocatalysts

Abstract

The integration of the thermodynamically favorable methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a promising technique for energy-saving hydrogen production, and its efficiency mainly relies on the development of active bifunctional electrocatalysts. Here, we present an effective strategy to synthesize rambutan-like Au@PdRu nanocatalysts (Au@PdRu RNs) with a core–shell structure. The core–shell and multi-branched structures can offer a strong electronic effect and sufficient active sites. Therefore, Au@PdRu RNs show superior activity and durability for the HER and MOR. As bifunctional catalysts for HER–MOR electrolysis, Au@PdRu RNs only require 0.88 V at 10 mA cm⁻², which is significantly lower than that for pure water electrolysis (1.69 V). This work proposes a highly promising bifunctional catalyst for energy-saving hydrogen production coupled with methanol oxidation.