Temperature-controlled synthesis of heterostructured Ru-Ru2P nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanofibers for highly efficient hydrogen production

Developing highly efficient, cost-effective, and stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of considerable importance but remains challenging. Herein, we report the fabrication of a robust Ru-based electrocatalyst, which comprises heterostructured Ru-Ru 2 P nanoparticles that are embedded in the N,P-codoped carbon nanofibers (CNFs), through a synthetic strategy involving electrospinning and temperature-controlled pyrolysis treatment. The as-prepared Ru-Ru 2 P catalyst (Ru-Ru 2 P@CNFs) shows excellent HER catalytic activities with low overpotentials of 11 and 14 mV in acidic and alkaline media, respectively, to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm −2 , which are superior to the individual components of pure Ru and Ru 2 P catalysts. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate the existence of electronic coupling effect between Ru and Ru 2 P at the heterointerfaces, leading to a well-modulated electronic structure with optimized hydrogen adsorption strength and enhanced electrical conductivity for efficient HER electrocatalysis. In addition, the overall synthetic strategy can be generalized for the synthesis of a series of transitional metal phosphide-based nanofibers, thereby holding a remarkable capacity for various potential applications.