A Ru cluster-decorated NiMoO4/NF catalyst with exceptional HER activity and stability in alkaline media

Abstract

The energy crisis and environmental pollution have forced scientists to look for clean and sustainable green and pollution-free energy. Hydrogen energy is considered to be the best alternative to fossil fuels. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sustainable and efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts to promote water splitting to produce hydrogen. In the field of catalysis, electronic metal–support interaction (EMSI) is an important phenomenon to describe the electron transfer or charge redistribution between metal nanoparticles and their supporting materials. At the same time, EMSI has been proven to improve the catalytic performance of the catalyst. Here, we prepared a Ru/NiMoO₄/NF (NF for nickel foam) catalyst by a combination of hydrothermal and impregnation methods, which exhibits an electron-metal carrier interaction. The introduction of Ru can adjust the internal resistance of NiMoO₄. Ru/NiMoO₄ has the smallest charge transfer resistance, which promotes the combination of H⁺ and electrons to produce H*, and H* enrichment produces H₂, and stabilizes the heterojunction interface, thus realizing the stable operation of the material at high current density.