Hydrogen-annealed Ru nanoparticles on TiO2 nanosheets as an efficient and durable electrocatalyst for acidic hydrogen evolution reaction

A Ru electrocatalyst supported on TiO 2 nanosheets was developed to improve noble-metal utilization and durability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic media. Uniform Ru nanoparticles were anchored on peroxide-derived TiO 2 nanosheets and activated via hydrogen annealing, resulting in enhanced interfacial interaction. The optimized Ru/TiO 2 interface increases the electrochemically active surface area and facilitates efficient charge transfer, leading to superior HER performance. The hydrogen-annealed Ru/TiO 2 exhibits a low overpotential of 14.5 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and maintains ∼90% of its initial current density over 120 h at −0.03 V vs RHE, demonstrating excellent stability. This work highlights that support engineering combined with thermal activation is an effective strategy to regulate the metal-support interface and enhance the activity and durability of Ru-based HER electrocatalysts, providing insights for the design of practical catalysts for acidic hydrogen production.