Trace Ru-doped Fe@Ni metal aerogel with core-shell structure as an efficient catalysts for boosting oxygen evolution reaction

The high cost of precious metals limits their use as effective catalysts for water electrolysis, while non-precious metal catalysts are more affordable but often underperform. A promising strategy to improve electrocatalytic performance and reduec costs is to incorporate noble metals onto non-precious substrates. This study successfully synthesized a trace Ru-doped FeNi 2 Ru 0.01 metal aerogel catalyst utilizing a one-step reduction method, resulting in a distinctive core-shell structure. The aerogel exhibits an overpotential of only 228 mV at a current density of 50 mA cm −2 and a stable operation time of up to 70 hours. Analysis reveals that the high specific surface area and porous architecture of the FeNi 2 Ru 0.01 aerogel facilitate the dispersion and exposure of trace Ru. In this configuration, Ru can serve as an active site following oxidation and aid in transforming Ni into the active species NiOOH, significantly boosting OER activity. This research provides a novel approach to optimizing metal aerogel catalysts through precious metal doping and lays a strong foundation for sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies.