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Trifunctional Single‐Atomic Ru Sites Enable Efficient Overall Water Splitting and Oxygen Reduction in Acidic Media
Author(s) -
Peng Xianyun,
Zhao Shunzheng,
Mi Yuying,
Han Lili,
Liu Xijun,
Qi Defeng,
Sun Jiaqiang,
Liu Yifan,
Bao Haihong,
Zhuo Longchao,
Xin Huolin L.,
Luo Jun,
Sun Xiaoming
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.202002888
Subject(s) - oxygen evolution , catalysis , water splitting , oxygen , oxygen reduction , chemistry , adsorption , hydrogen , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , fuel cells , electrocatalyst , materials science , electrochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , engineering
Development of cost‐effective, active trifunctional catalysts for acidic oxygen reduction (ORR) as well as hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER, respectively) is highly desirable, albeit challenging. Herein, single‐atomic Ru sites anchored onto Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene nanosheets are first reported to serve as trifunctional electrocatalysts for simultaneously catalyzing acidic HER, OER, and ORR. A half‐wave potential of 0.80 V for ORR and small overpotentials of 290 and 70 mV for OER and HER, respectively, at 10 mA cm −2 are achieved. Hence, a low cell voltage of 1.56 V is required for the acidic overall water splitting. The maximum power density of an H 2 –O 2 fuel cell using the as‐prepared catalyst can reach as high as 941 mW cm −2 . Theoretical calculations reveal that isolated Ru–O 2 sites can effectively optimize the adsorption of reactants/intermediates and lower the energy barriers for the potential‐determining steps, thereby accelerating the HER, ORR, and OER kinetics.