Ru-doped MoO2/Mo2C coupled with N-doped carbon as an efficient pH-universal electrocatalyst for hydrogen generation

The preparation of stable, efficient and pH-universal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts is urgent and significant for large-scale hydrogen production. Herein, a simple and efficient method was developed to fabricate Ru-doped MoO2/Mo2C onto N-doped carbon nanoparticles (Ru-MoO2/Mo2C/NC). The formed smaller nanoparticles by Ru doping can provide abundant accessible active sites and interfaces. Moreover, the synergistic effects of Ru and Mo-based compounds also played a key role in promoting the catalytic kinetics. The as-prepared Ru-MoO2/Mo2C/NC exhibited low overpotentials of 38, 61, 67 and 75 mV in alkaline, neutral, acidic electrolyte solutions and alkaline seawater at 10 mA cm-2, respectively. This work proposes a valid method for the design of efficient electrocatalysts through precise component regulation.