Developing efficient pH-universal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts is critical in the field of water electrolysis, however, which is severely hampered by the sluggish kinetics in alkaline media. Herein, a ruthenium (Ru) incorporation induced vacancy engineering strategy is firstly proposed to precisely construct oxygen vacancy (V_O)-riched cobalt-ruthenium metaphosphate (CRPO) for high-efficiency pH-universal HER. The V_O modifies the electronic structure, improves the superficial hydrophilic and gas spillover capacity, it also reduces the coordination number of Ru atoms and regulates the coordination environment. Theoretical calculations indicate that Ru tends to adsorb H₂O and H*, whereas V_O tends to adsorb OH⁻, which greatly promotes the H₂O adsorption and the dissociation of HO–H bond. Ultimately, CRPO-2 exhibits remarkable HER performance, the mass activity is about 18.34, 21.73, and 38.07 times higher than that of Pt/C in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media, respectively, at the same time maintain excellent stability. Our findings may pave a new avenue for the rational design of electrocatalysts toward pH-universal water electrolysis.

Shape- and composition-controlled synthesis of platinum-based nanocrystals (NCs) is critical for the development of electrocatalysts that have high activity toward the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). We report one-pot surfactant-free synthesis of interconnected Pt₉₅Co₅ nanowires (NWs) via an oriented attachment process, which has distinct advantages over conventional template- and surfactant-assisted approaches. Enhanced electrochemical activities toward MOR were confirmed through comparison with pure Pt NWs and commercial Pt/C catalyst. Pt₉₅Co₅ NWs demonstrated the highest current density during the long-term stability test. These results reveal that the introduction of the 3d-transition metal Co can reduce the catalyst cost and contribute to the improvement of electrochemical performance. The integrated design of interconnected NW structure, bimetallic composition, and clean surfaces in the present system may open a new way to the development of excellent electrocatalysts in DMFCs.