Fabrication of Ru nanoclusters on Co-doped NiSe nanorods with efficient electrocatalytic activity towards alkaline hydrogen evolution via hydrogen spillover effect

Abstract

Hydrogen spillover-based binary catalysts composed of an efficient hydrogen adsorption metal and a facile hydrogen desorption support could deliver a high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance. However, the hydrogen spillover process generally suffers from thermodynamic/kinetic obstacles at the interface between the metal and the support. Herein, a hydrothermal method was utilized to fabricate a vertical NiSe nanorod array on nickel foam (NF), and then Co-doped NiSe was prepared by a cation exchange method, and finally Ru nanoclusters were deposited on Co-doped NiSe nanorods, resulting in Ru–Ni_0.85Co_0.15Se/NF. 1.5 wt% Ru–Ni_0.85Co_0.15Se/NF delivers an overpotential as low as 18.2 mV at 10 mA cm⁻², a high Ru mass activity of 258.44 A g_Ru⁻¹ and a very impressive stability in alkaline electrolytes for 50 h. Theoretical calculations indicate that Co doping could lower the work function difference (ΔΦ) between Ru and NiSe to the minimum value of 0.05 eV, and further lower the kinetic energy barrier between the metal and the support, which promotes the interfacial hydrogen spillover from Ru to Ni_0.85Co_0.15Se and hence boosts the HER activity of Ru.