MOF-derived Sheet-like E-Ru/Mo/Mo2C with Abundant Exposed Active Sites for Advanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

A Ru/Mo/Mo2C sheet-structured composite electrocatalyst was synthesized through a meticulous methodology involving etching pretreatment, impregnation, and subsequent calcination. This work delves into the intricacies of how the incorporation of Ru and the application of etching pretreatment influence the compositional makeup, morphological characteristics, electronic configuration, and, most notably, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of the catalyst within the context of water electrolysis. Specifically, it was observed that the introduction of Ru catalyzed the formation of Mo and Mo2C phases, while the etching pretreatment played a pivotal role in augmenting the specific surface area of the catalyst, thereby facilitating the availability of an enriched landscape of active sites and modifying the electronic coupling between Ru and Mo species. Electrochemical evaluations revealed that the optimized E-Ru/Mo/Mo2C-3 catalyst exhibited remarkable HER kinetics, manifested by a minimal overpotential of 39.7 mV at a benchmark current density of 10 mA cm-2 and a favorable Tafel slope of 14.5 mV dec-1 in an alkaline medium. This comprehensive investigation offers profound insights into the rational design of metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived electrocatalysts, paving the way for the development of highly efficient HER catalysts tailored for water electrolysis applications.