Issue 23, 2023

Promoting water formation in sulphate-functionalized Ru for efficient hydrogen oxidation reaction under alkaline electrolytes

Abstract

Improving the sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) under alkaline electrolytes plays a significant role in the practical application of alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells (APEFCs). Here we report a sulphate functionalized Ru catalyst (Ru-SO4) that exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic performance and stability toward alkaline HOR, with a mass activity of 1182.2 mA mgPGM−1, which is four-times higher than that of the pristine Ru catalyst. Theoretical calculations and experimental studies including in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and in situ Raman spectroscopy demonstrate that the charge redistribution on the interface of Ru through sulphate functionalization could lead to optimized adsorption energies of hydrogen and hydroxide, together with facilitated H2 transfer through the inter Helmholtz plane and precisely tailored interfacial water molecules, contributing to a decreased energy barrier of the water formation step and enhanced HOR performance under alkaline electrolytes.

Graphical abstract: Promoting water formation in sulphate-functionalized Ru for efficient hydrogen oxidation reaction under alkaline electrolytes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
26 4 2023
Accepted
14 5 2023
First published
23 5 2023
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2023,14, 6289-6294

Promoting water formation in sulphate-functionalized Ru for efficient hydrogen oxidation reaction under alkaline electrolytes

C. Yang, Y. Li, J. Yue, H. Cong and W. Luo, Chem. Sci., 2023, 14, 6289 DOI: 10.1039/D3SC02144K

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