RuO2 loaded into porous Ni as a synergistic catalyst for hydrogen production

Abstract

Electrolytic hydrogen by renewable electricity such as solar and wind power is considered as a sustainable energy storage approach. In this work, a porous nano/microarchitectured RuO₂/Ni composite catalyst has been elaborately designed via a facile and controllable route. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), linear scanning voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to scrutinize the catalysts and the electrochemical performance. The designed RuO₂/p-Ni catalyst significantly displays enhanced catalytic activity and long-term durability toward hydrogen production compared with a Pt catalyst. The excellent performance of the composite catalyst could be ascribed to the fact that RuO₂ can be well incorporated into the constructed porous Ni network with large specific surface area. The presence of RuO₂ and the Ni network in pairs on the surface of the composite catalyst may not only result in a synergistically enhanced catalytic effect between RuO₂ and the porous Ni network by hydrogen spillover, but also ensure that RuO₂ firmly binds with the porous Ni network, consequently ensuring the long-term durability of the catalyst during the whole reaction.