LAUSR

Due to the potential application in the future energy conversion system, there is an increasing demand for efficient, stable and cheap platinum-free catalysts for hydrogen evolution. However, it is still a great challenge to develop electrocatalysts with high activity similar to platinum or even higher, especially those that can work under alkaline conditions. Ruthenium (Ru), as a cheap substitute for platinum, has been studied as a feasible substitute for (HER) catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction. In this paper, we designed and developed a novel Ru catalyst (Ru@CNT) supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes. Electrochemical tests show that even under alkaline conditions (1 M KOH), Ru@CNT still shows excellent catalytic performance and good durability. It only needs 36.69 mV overpotential to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2, and its Tafel slope is 28.82 mV dec−1. The catalytic performance of the catalyst is comparable to that of 20% Pt/C. The significant activity is mainly attributed to the chelation of highly dispersed ruthenium atoms on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes. Secondly, the one-dimensional pore structures supported by nitrogen heterocarbon nanotubes can provide more opportunities for active centers. Excellent HER performance makes Ru@CNT electrocatalyst have a broad application prospect in practical hydrogen production.