Ru Decorated Natural Cellulose Nanofiber-Derived Carbon Aerogel For Efficient Alkaline Seawater Electrolysis Of Hydrogen Generation

Abstract

Highly active, stable and affordable electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are intensively needed for global energy conversion systems. Carbon-supported ruthenium (Ru)-based electrocatalysts have been rising stars in recent years and the pursuit of higher activity has stimulate intensive research interest. Herein, a novel electrocatalyst with cellulose nanofibers containing abundant carboxyls and hydroxyls as the carbon source to anchor the Ru nanoparticles (Ru/NC) was designed and synthesized for efficient HER. Benefiting from the anchoring and dispersion of the doped carbon to the Ru nanoparticles and the synergistic interaction between the different components, the obtained Ru/NC exhibited optimal HER activity in all the corresponding contrast electrocatalysts, with low overpotentials of 16 mV, 22 mV, and 46 mV to attain 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH, 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1.0 M KOH + seawater, respectively. Additionally, the synthesized Ru/NC also displayed excellent stability in different applied electrolytes. Our work will offer a novel and interesting insight into fabrication of advanced carbon-supported electrocatalysts with resource-rich biomass as cost-effective carbon source.

Keywords: Ru-based catalyst, cellulose nanofibers-derived carbon, N-doping, alkaline seawater electrolysis