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Research Article | Open Access

Charge-asymmetry RuCo single atom alloy catalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Yi Yao1, Huilong Geng2, Wanchun Duan1, Lili Zhang3, Faqiang Xu1( ), Huishan Shang3( )
National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei 230029, China
Energy & Catalysis Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
School of Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
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Graphical Abstract

RuCo single-atom alloy catalyst supported on S, N co-doped carbon nanosheets (RuCo SAA/SNC) was synthesized by a continuous two-step pyrolysis and carbonization process. This method effectively introduces a large number of defects and high nonmetallic heteroatoms into the catalyst gradually. The incorporation of Ru significantly expedites the charge transfer between the RuCo single-atom alloy site and the nitrogen, sulfur co-doped carbon nanosheet matrix. This not only optimizes the structural characteristics of Ru clusters but also effectively reduces the overpotential for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), thereby substantially enhancing the intrinsic catalytic activity.

Abstract

By incorporating a limited number of precious metal atoms into the base metal, the single-atom alloy catalyst not only optimizes the electronic structure and stability of the catalyst but also emerges as an innovative material that enhances the efficiency and selectivity of catalytic reactions. RuCo single-atom alloy electrocatalyst supported on S, N co-doped carbon nanosheets (RuCo SAA/SNC) uniformly distributed on nitrogen, sulfur co-doped carbon nanosheets was prepared by two-step pyrolysis and carbonization. The incorporation of Ru not only optimizes the atomic utilization of Ru but also enhances the charge conduction properties of the surface Co species, thereby increasing the evolution and migration rates of hydrogen ions. In a 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, the RuCo SAA/SNC catalyst demonstrates a tafel slope of 27.5 mV·dec−1 and an overpotential of merely 43 mV at 10 mA·cm−2. This work achieves enhanced catalytic performance and stability by precisely regulating the atomic-level structure of single-atom alloy catalysts, thereby promoting their widespread application in energy conversion and green chemistry.

Keywords

single-atom alloy (SAA)atomic regulationcharge asymmetry structurehydrogen evolution reaction (HER)

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Nano Research
Volume 18 Issue 4,
April 2025
Article number: 94907313
DOI: 10.26599/NR.2025.94907313
Cite this article:
Yao Y, Geng H, Duan W, et al. Charge-asymmetry RuCo single atom alloy catalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction. Nano Research, 2025, 18(4): 94907313. https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2025.94907313
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Electrocatalysis

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Received: 16 January 2025
Revised: 13 February 2025
Accepted: 14 February 2025
Published: 17 March 2025
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Tsinghua University Press.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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