H-incorporated PdRu electrocatalyst for water splitting under alkaline condition

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline water electrolysis faces significant kinetic and thermodynamic challenges that hinder its efficiency and scalability for sustainable hydrogen production. Herein, we employed an in-situ synthesis strategy to incorporate H atoms into the PdRu alloy lattice to form H Inc -PdRu electrocatalyst, thereby modulating its electronic structure and enhancing its alkaline HER performance. We demonstrate that the incorporation of H atoms significantly improves electrocatalytic activity, achieving a remarkably low overpotential of 25 mV at 10 mA cm –2 compared with the Pd, Ru and PdRu catalysts while maintaining robust catalyst stability. Operando spectroscopic analysis indicates that H insertion into the H Inc -PdRu electrocatalyst enhances the availability of H 2 O* at the surface, promoting water dissociation at the active sites. Theoretical calculations proposed that the co-incorporating H and Ru atoms induces s-d orbital coupling within the Pd lattices, effectively weakening hydrogen adsorption strength and optimizing the alkaline HER energetics. This work presents a facile approach for the rational design of bimetallic electrocatalysts for efficient and stable alkaline water electrolysis for renewable hydrogen production.