Observation of a robust and active catalyst for hydrogen evolution under high current densities

Despite the fruitful achievements in the development of hydrogen production catalysts with record-breaking performances, there is still a lack of durable catalysts that could work under large current densities (>1000 mA cm2). Here, we investigated the catalytic behaviors of Sr2RuO4 bulk single crystals. This crystal has demonstrated remarkable activities under the current density of 1000 mA cm2, which require overpotentials of 182 and 278 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1 M KOH electrolytes, respectively. These materials are stable for 56 days of continuous testing at a high current density of above 1000 mA cm2 and then under operating temperatures of 70 °C. The in-situ formation of ferromagnetic Ru clusters at the crystal surface is observed, endowing the single-crystal catalyst with low charge transfer resistance and high wettability for rapid gas bubble removal. These experiments exemplify the potential of designing HER catalysts that work under industrial-scale current density.

Yudi Zhang, Kathryn E. Arpino, Qun Yang, Naoki Kikugawa, Dmitry A. Sokolov, Clifford W. Hicks, Jian Liu, Claudia Felser, Guowei Li