Ru Nanoparticle-Anchored MoO2 Nanoflowers as Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Exploration of highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen production is critically important for their practical applications in water splitting. Herein, we present Ru nanoparticle-anchored MoO2 nanoflowers as an efficient and stable electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The Ru/MoO2 catalysts are synthesized by a mild hydrothermal route combined with thermal reduction. The strong electronic interactions between Ru and MoO2 confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations lead to better hydrogen adsorption abilities and produce many more active sites. As a result, the optimized Ru/MoO2 hybrid delivers outstanding HER performance in an acid solution, with a low overpotential of 39 mV to reach an electric current density of 10 mA/cm2, a small Tafel slope of 50 mV/dec, and superior long-term stability. The work presents a good strategy to develop efficient and stable HER catalysts by introducing strong electronic interactions.