Electrospun nano-Ru doped carbon nanofibers for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction

While noble metals exhibit excellent electrocatalytic properties, rare elements in the earth's crust. Therefore, reducing the content of noble metals in electrocatalysts is crucial in large-scale electrochemical hydrogen evolution. In this paper, Ru-doped mesoporous carbon nanofibers (Ru- m CNFs) electrocatalysts are prepared by simple electrospinning technology and carbonization strategy. The effects of metal contents on electrocatalytic performance are discussed. With the Ru content of 1.26 %, Ru- m CNFs exhibit the overpotential of 39 mV at current density of 10 mA cm −2 under alkaline conditions, which is comparable to the performance of 20 % commercial Pt/C under the same conditions. This work provided a promising noble catalyst with low loading amount in water-splitting devices for large-scale production of hydrogen.