Solvent-free synthesis of nickel doped ruthenium for efficient hydrogen evolution

The efficient transformation of chemicals and electricity via electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) plays a pivotal role in green hydrogen production. Both in academia and industry, the pursuit of designing and fabricating catalysts for HER that are not only efficient and robust but also environmentally friendly is of significant interest. In this work, a ruthenium catalyst doped with nickel was synthesized using a procedure-minimal and solvent-free method facilitated by microwave-assisted pyrolysis. The incorporation of alloying and optimized electronic structures has resulted in Ru-based nanocrystals that change the HER mechanism and enable enhanced activity. The optimal RuNi/C catalyst demonstrates an overpotential of only 15 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, with a Tafel slope of 24 mV dec−1, surpassing the performance of the state-of-the-art Pt/C catalyst. Remarkably, the prepared catalyst exhibits admirable corrosion resistance, making it a highly promising candidate for green hydrogen production through seawater splitting.