Collaborative Interface Optimization Strategy Guided Ultrafine RuCo and MXene Heterostructure Electrocatalysts for Efficient Overall Water Splitting

Developing highly active and robust electrocatalystsfor the hydrogen/oxygenevolution reaction (HER/OER) is crucial for the large-scale utilizationof green hydrogen. In this study, a collaborative interface optimizationguided strategy was employed to prepare a metal-organic framework(MOF) derived heterostructure electrocatalyst (MXene@RuCo NPs). Theobtained electrocatalyst requires overpotentials of only 20 mV forthe HER and 253 mV for the OER to deliver a current density of 10mA/cm(2) in alkaline media, respectively, and it also exhibitsgreat performance at high current density. Experiments and theoreticalcalculations reveal that the doped Ru introduces second active sitesand decreases the diameter of nanoparticles, which greatly enhancesthe number of active sites. More importantly, the MXene/RuCo NPs heterogeneousinterfaces in the catalysts exhibit great synergistic effects, decreasingthe work function of the catalyst and improving the charge transferrate, thus reducing the energy barrier of the catalytic reaction.This work represents a promising strategy for the development of MOF-derivedhighly active catalysts to achieve efficient energy conversion inindustrial applications.