Cu-Ru nanoalloys on carbon black for efficient production of hydrogen in neutral and alkaline conditions

Abstract There is an increasing demand for efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in neutral solution. Herein, uniformly dispersed CuRu alloy nanoparticles on carbon black (CuRu/CB) are firstly synthesized for robust HER. Based on the combined benefits of improved intrinsic activity, increased site density, and enhanced charge transfer, the as-obtained CuRu/CB exhibits Pt-like catalysis activity in both neutral and alkaline solutions, with exchange current densities of 1.02 and 1.09 mA cm−2 that are comparable to Pt/C of 1.32 and 1.44 mA cm−2, respectively. For splitting water, CuRu/CB generates the current density of 10 mA cm−2 at 91 and 85 mV in 1 M phosphate-buffered saline and 1 M KOH, respectively.