Synergetic Effect of Bimetal Anchored Biomass Derived Carbon Nanosheets for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Transition metals loaded biomass derived carbon materials are emerging as a cost-effective promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The biomass derived carbon offered an effective mass transport for gas diffusion while possessed inherit rich porous structure for the disposition of active transition metals. In this work, we demonstrated a facile method to synthesis pine nut shells-derived carbon loaded Co-Ru bimetal catalyst (CoRuAC) that presented a unique two-dimensional, hierarchical porous structure. The as prepared electrocatalyst displayed low overpotential of 160 mV @ 10 mA cm-2, small Tafel slope, and long-term stability in alkaline conditions. A series of characterization revealed that the enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance was credited to large specific surface area, the mass/charge transfer pathways provided by biomass derived carbon and the electronic coupling of Co and Ru. This study offered a new inspiration to design novel and economical electrocatalyst for HER in alkaline electrolytes with green and sustainable strategy.

Keywords: Biomass derived carbon, Co-Ru bimetal, Electrocatalysis, Hydrogen evolution reaction