Controlled synthesis of ultrasmall RuP ₂ particles on N,P‐codoped carbon as superior pH‐wide electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Abstract

Abstract Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a highly potential strategy to massively produce green hydrogen fuels. However, the employment of costly Pt‐based electrocatalyst in the cathode of electrolyzer greatly hampers the development of hydrogen economy. Ruthenium phosphide catalysts have recently drawn wide attention due to the Pt‐like activity but relatively lower cost. Herein, a facile strategy was proposed for the controlled preparation of the ultrasmall RuP 2 nanoparticles on N,P‐codoped carbon from common precursors of Ru (II) complex and phytic acid. By taking advantage of simple mixing and pyrolysis, the as‐synthesized RuP 2 nanoparticles were uniformly embedded onto the N,P‐codoped carbon nanosheet. The composite catalyst shows better activity than Pt/C for alkaline HER and comparable activity for acidic and neutral HER. The superior activity can be ascribed to the ultrasmall‐size and efficient RuP 2 together with good mass and charge transfer ability assured by N,P‐codoped carbon support. The advantages including low‐cost and simple synthesis in this work present an encouraging substitute to replace commercial Pt/C for hydrogen‐related practical applications.