Three-Dimensional PdCuRu Alloy Porous Nanosheets as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Varied Electrolytes

Noble metal materials with favorable electronic and geometric structure are considered as outstanding electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, it is still a grand challenge to increase the specific surface area of the catalyst to expose more active sites from structural advantages and optimize the adsorption/desorption energy of reaction intermediates. Here, we report the design and fabrication of a three-dimensional (3D) PdCuRu nanostructure that is assembled by porous nanosheets through a facile wet-chemical and subsequent chemical etching method. Interestingly, the prepared 3D porous nanostructures not only provide a wealth of surface active centers for reactants, but also provide a lot of ways for mass transport and charge transfer. More importantly, the alloy structure effectively optimizes the electronic structures of Ru and Cu, leading them to be favorable for the adsorption/desorption of H(ads)during HER. As a result, the 3D PdCuRu porous nanosheets (PdCuRu PNSs) display excellent electrocatalytic HER performance in both acidic and alkaline media. It is worth mentioning that the 3D PdCuRu PNSs could also show excellent kinetic stability with negligible activity loss representing a new class a class of promising electrocatalysts for HER.