Manipulating the Microenvironment of Single Atoms by Switching Support Crystallinity for Industrial Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

Modulating the microenvironment of single-atom catalysts (SACs) is critical to optimizing catalytic activity. Herein, we innovatively propose a strategy to improve the local reaction environment of Ru single atoms by precisely switching the crystallinity of the support from high crystalline and low crystalline, which significantly improves the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. The Ru single-atom catalyst anchored on low-crystalline nickel hydroxide (Ru-LC-Ni(OH)₂ ) reconstructs the distribution balance of the interfacial ions due to the activation effect of metal dangling bonds on the support. Single-site Ru with a low oxidation state induces the aggregation of hydronium ions (H₃ O⁺ ), leading to the formation of a local acidic microenvironment in alkaline media, breaking the pH-dependent HER activity. As a comparison, the Ru single-atom catalyst anchored on high-crystalline nickel hydroxide (Ru-HC-Ni(OH)₂ ) exhibits a sluggish Volmer step and a conventional local reaction environment. As expected, Ru-LC-Ni(OH)₂ requires low overpotentials of 9 and 136 mV at 10 and 1000 mA cm^-2 in alkaline conditions and operates stably at 500 mA cm^-2 for 500 h in an alkaline seawater anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer. This study provides a new perspective for constructing highly active single-atom electrocatalysts.

Keywords: Anion Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer; Hydrogen Evolution Reaction; Local Microenvironment; Single-Atom Catalysts; Transition Metal Hydroxides.