Hydrogen evolution reaction catalysis on RuM (M = Ni, Co) porous nanorods by cation etching.

The RuM (M=Ni, Co) porous nanorods are prepared as efficient electrocatalysts for the HER. [Display omitted] • The RuM (M = Ni, Co) HNRs were synthesized via wet-chemical method and cation-etching approach. • The hollow nanorod structures effectively enriched the active sites with easy accessibility. • Ni/Co-doping optimized the electronic structure of Ru. • The RuM (M = Ni, Co) HNRs exhibited excellent HER catalytic performance and high stability. The development of efficient and stable nanomaterial electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great significance for renewable energy conversion via water electrolysis. Herein, we have developed a novel class of bimetallic RuM (M = Ni, Co) hollow nanorods (HNRs) through a facile Fe3+ etching strategy, as electrocatalysts for enhancing the HER. Morphological physical characterization and electrochemical tests demonstrated that RuM (M = Ni, Co) HNRs with hollow structures can effectively enhance electrocatalytic activity due to their high specific surface areas. Impressively, the RuNi HNRs exhibited superior HER performance with an overpotential of merely 25.6 mV in 1 M KOH solution at 10 mA cm−2, which is significantly lower than that of commercial Pt/C (44.7 mV). Moreover, the as prepared RuNi HNRs showed excellent stability and could continuously work at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for 40 h with a negligible increase in potential. The Ru-based HNRs also showed high HER activity in an acidic solution. This study paves a new way for the universal fabrication of bimetallic hollow structured nanomaterials as efficient electrocatalysts for boosting the HER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]