Engineering heterostructure and crystallinity of Ru/RuS_(2) nanoparticle composited with N-doped graphene as electrocatalysts for alkaline hydrogen evolution

Crystalline engineering and heterostructure have attracted much attention as effective strategies to improve the electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).In this study,a new heterostructure catalyst(Ru/RuS_(2)@N-rGO)with low crystallinity was fabricated by a simple and low-temperature method for HER in alkaline solution,applying the Na_(2)SO_(4)as S source and polypyrrole as N source.Optimizing through the controllable crystalline engineering and composition ratio of Ru and RuS_(2),the Ru/RuS_(2)@N-rGO heterocatalyst at the calcining 500°C revealed highly efficient HER activity with overpotential 18 mV at a current density 10 mA/cm^(2)and remarkable stability for 24 h in 1.0 mol/L KOH.This work provides a facile and effective method in designing advanced electrocatalysts for HER in the alkaline electrolytes by synergistically structural and component modulations.

Synthesis, structure and electrocatalytic H2-evoluting activity of a dinickel model complex related to the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases

Structural and functional biomimicking of the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases can provide helpful hints for designing bioinspired catalysts to replace the expensive noble metal catalysts for H2 generation and uptake.Treatment of dianion [Ni(phma)]2-[H4 phma=N,N’-1,2-phenylenebis(2-mercaptoacetamide)] with [NiCl2(dppp)](dppp=bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) yielded a dinickel product[Ni(phma)(μ-S,S’)Ni(dppp)](1) as the model complex relevant to the active site of [NiFe]-H2 ases.The structure of complex 1 has been characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis.From cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis studies,complex 1 was found to be a moderate electrocatalyst for the H2-evoluting reaction using ClCH2COOH as the proton source.