Rapid synthesis of active Pt single atoms and Ru clusters on carbon black via a highly efficient microwave strategy for the hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic and alkaline media

Loaded single-atom catalysts (SACs) exhibit high potential for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) owing to their unsaturated coordination environments and quantum size effects. However, SACs with only one active center can limit reactions involving multiple atoms, affecting adsorption efficiency. This paper presents a synergistic catalyst, Pt1Rux@C, successfully synthesized using an efficient microwave reduction strategy to load Pt-1 atoms and Ru-x clusters onto carbon black for electrocatalytic HER in just 50 seconds. Characterization and theoretical calculations show that the interaction between Pt-1 and Ru-x on the Pt1Rux@C surface optimizes HER kinetics and achieves unique acid/alkaline reactivity. Pt1Rux@C requires overpotentials of only 90.2 mV (acidic)/141.8 mV (alkaline) to achieve current densities of 100 mA cm(-2) (acidic)/40 mA cm(-2) (alkaline), outperforming commercial 20 wt% Pt/C. It also exhibits a low Tafel slope, high activity, and excellent stability. In conclusion, this study introduces a new path for efficient, cost-effective, and controllable electrocatalyst development.