Modulating adsorption energy on nickel nitride-supported ruthenium nanoparticles through in-situ electrochemical activation for urea-assisted alkaline hydrogen production.

The rational design of electrocatalysts with exceptional performance and durability for hydrogen production in alkaline medium is a formidable challenge. In this study, we have developed in-situ activated ruthenium nanoparticles dispersed on NiN nanosheets, forming a bifunctional electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution and urea oxidation. The results of experimental analysis and theoretical calculations reveal that the enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of O-Ru-NiN stems primarily from the optimized hydrogen adsorption and hydroxyl adsorption on Ru sites. The O-Ru-NiN on nickel foam (NF) electrode exhibits excellent HER performance, requiring only 29 mV to reach 10 mA cm in an alkaline medium. Notably, when this O-Ru-NiN/NF catalyst is employed for both HER and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) to create an integrated H production system, a current density of 50 mA cm can be generated at the cell voltage of 1.41 V. This report introduces an energy-efficient catalyst for hydrogen production and proposes a viable strategy for anodic activation in energy chemistry.