Construction Of Cu And Ru-based Electrocatalysts And Their Water Splitting Perfoemance

Hydrogen is the most promising alternative to traditional energy sources.Hydrogen production by electrolysis of water is a clean and efficient hydrogen production method,and the electrocatalytic water splitting process includes hydrogen evolution reaction（HER）of the cathode and oxygen evolution reaction（OER）of the anode,and the slow kinetics and complex electron transfer process reduce the catalytic efficiency.At present,Pt and Ir O₂are the most effective HER and OER electrocatalysts,but their high price and low reserves hinder their large-scale application,so it is especially important to develop alternatives to precious metals.Ru has excellent HER and OER electrocatalytic performance and is less expensive than Pt and Ir.However,the binding strength of Ru and hydrogen-active intermediate(H_ads)is high,which hinders the desorption process of H_ads.The transition metal Cu is abundant in reserves,but the hydrogen bond between Cu and H_adsis weak.Therefore,this paper takes Ru and Cu as the research objects,uses flash Joule heating technology to obtain high-performance HER and OER bifunctional electrocatalysts,and studies the application of the prepared electrocatalysts in two-electrode electrolyzers.（1）Carbon cloth-loaded Cu-Ru heterostructure ultra-small nanoparticlesCu-Ru ultra-small nanoparticles（Ru-Cu@CM/CC）with heterostructure supported by carbon cloth were prepared by flash Joule heating technology.Ru-Cu@CM/CC has excellent HER and OER electrocatalytic activity in basic and acidic solutions.In the1.0 M KOH medium,small HER and OER overpotentials of 25 m V and 290 m V were presented at a current density of 10 m A cm^-2.In the 0.5 M H₂SO₄medium,small HER and OER overpotentials are also exhibited at 10 m A cm^-2current density,85 m V and229 m V,respectively,and the synergistic effect of Cu and Ru is an important reason for improving the performance of HER and OER.The strong interaction of Cu-Ru with carbon carriers is an important factor in improving its stability.The two-electrode electrolyzer prepared with Ru-Cu@CM/CC as the cathode and anode showed excellent electrolytic water activity and stability in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes.（2）Carbon nanotube-loaded CuRu alloy nanoparticlesUsing flash joule heating technology,carbon nanotubes（CNTs）loaded with smaller CuRu alloy nanoparticles（CuRu-CNTs）were synthesized.The diameter of the alloy nanoparticles is about 4.3 nm.In alkaline media,the HER and OER overpotentials of CuRu-CNTs are 39 m V and 330 m V,respectively,at a current density of 10 m A cm^-2.The strong interaction between CuRu alloy nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes hinders the agglomeration of alloy particles and the decline of catalyst activity.Two-electrode electrolyzers assembled with CuRu-CNTs as electrocatalysts exhibit small decomposition voltage and cycle stability.