Lotus root-like RuIr alloys with close-packed(0001)branches:Strain-driven performance for acidic water oxidation

Achieving composition tunability and structure editability of nanoalloys with high level strain may be an efficient strategy to remarkably boost catalytic performance toward oxygen evolution reaction(OER)in acidic water oxidation.Herein,lotus root-like RuIr alloys with native micro-strain were constructed by an epitaxial growth of Ru-richened hcp-(0001)branches on Ir-richened fcc-(111)seeds using a polyol thermal synthesis strategy.The resultant Ru_(60)Ir_(40) alloy shows an OER overpotential of 197 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2) and a Tafel slope of 46.59 mV dec^(-1),showing no obvious activity decay for 80 h continuous chronopotentiometry test in 0.5 M H_(2)SO_(4).The related characterizations including X-ray absorption fine structure(XAFS)spectroscopy and density functional theory(DFT)calculations show that that the remarkably improved activity of the lotus root-like alloy can be attributed to the(0001)facet-triggered strain,which can efficiently optimize the electronic band structure of the active metal and the weakening of the chemisorption of oxygen-containing substances to boost OER electrocatalysis.Therefore,this work provides a new strategy to designing a class of advanced electrocatalysts with high strain using diverse nanostructures as building materials for carbon-free clean energy conversion systems.

Construction of Pd-doped RuO_(2) nanosheets for efficient and stable acidic water oxidation

RuO_(2) has been considered a potential alternative to commercial IrO_(2) for the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)due to its superior intrinsic activity.However,its inherent structure dissolution in acidic environments restricts its commercial applications.In this study,we report a novel Pd-doped ruthenium oxide(Pd–RuO_(2))nanosheet catalyst that exhibits improved activity and stability through a synergistic effect of Pd modulation of Ru electronic structure and the two-dimensional structure.The catalyst exhibits excellent performance,achieving an overpotential of only 204 mVat a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2).Impressively,after undergoing 8000 cycles of cyclic voltammetry testing,the overpotential merely decreased by 5 mV.The PEM electrolyzer with Pd0.08Ru0.92O_(2) as an anode catalyst survived an almost 130 h operation at 200 mA cm^(-2).To elucidate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the enhanced stability,we conducted an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)analysis,which reveals that the electron transfer from Pd to Ru effectively circumvents the over-oxidation of Ru,thus playing a crucial role in enhancing the catalyst's stability.Furthermore,density functional theory(DFT)calculations provide compelling evidence that the introduction of Pd into RuO_(2) effectively modulates electron correlations and facilitates the electron transfer from Pd to Ru,thereby preventing the overoxidation of Ru.Additionally,the application of the two-dimensional structure effectively inhibited the aggregation and growth of nanoparticles,further bolstering the structural integrity of the catalyst.

Microstructure and Shear Properties Evolution of Minor Fe-Doped SAC/Cu Substrate Solder Joint under Isothermal Aging

Different amounts of Fe(0.005,0.01,0.03,0.05,and 0.07 wt%)were added to SAC305 to study the shear behavior damage of Fe-doped SAC solder joints under thermal loading(170℃,holding time of 0,250,500,and 750 h).The results show that during isothermal aging at 170℃,the average shear force of all solder joints decreases with increasing aging time,while the average fracture energy first increases and then decreases,reaching a maximum at 500 h.Minor Fe doping could both increase shear forces and related fracture energy,with the optimum Fe doping amount being 0.03 wt%within the entire aging range.This is because the doping Fe reduces the undercooling of the SAC305 alloy,resulting in the microstructure refining of solder joints.This in turn causes the microstructure changing from network structure(SAC305 joint:eutectic network+β-Sn)to a single matrix structure(0.03Fe-doped SAC305 joint:β-Sn matrix+small compound particles).Specifically,Fe atoms can replace some Cu in Cu_(6)Sn_(5)(both inside the solder joint and at the interface),and then form(Cu,Fe)_(6)Sn_(5) compounds,resulting in an increase in the elastic modulus and nanohardness of the compounds.Moreover,the growth of Cu_(6)Sn_(5) and Cu_(3)Sn intermetallic compounds(IMC)layer are inhibited by Fe doping even after the aging time prolonging,and Fe aggregates near the interface compound to form FeSn_(2).This study is of great significance for controlling the growth of interfacial compounds,stabilizing the microstructures,and providing strengthening strategy for solder joint alloy design.