The 3D Ru-doped nickel-cobalt phosphide nanosheet array with rough surface used as a high-performance electrocatalyst for benzyl alcohol-assisted energy-efficient hydrogen generation

Abstract

Benzyl alcohol-assisted electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution represents a transformative strategy for sustainable hydrogen production coupled with value-added chemical synthesis. This article presents a simple low-temperature hydrothermal and phosphating method to obtain Ru doped bimetallic phosphide catalyst in-situ loaded on the surface of carbon cloth substrates. This catalyst has outstanding constitutive activity and abundant accessible active sites, thanks to Ru doping, the coordination effect between bimetallic phosphides, and the unique three-dimensional interconnected nanosheet structure. Investigation shows, this catalyst exhibited excellent benzylalcohol electrolysis activity, high conversion (98.9 %), high selectivity (96.4 %), and robust durability, with the potential of 1.316 V at 10 mA cm⁻². By constructing a benzylalcohol oxidation coupling dual-electrode electrolytic cell, the potential reduced to 1.53 V (vs. RHE) at 10 mA cm⁻², 230 mV lower than conventional alkaline electrolysis. Combining DFT calculations and theoretical analyses reveal that Ru sites stabilize oxygen-containing intermediates during BOR, while adjacent Ni/Co-P units enhance H∗ desorption for HER, enabling bidirectional catalytic modulation. This coupling method will help the renewable energy driving electrocatalytic HER in H₂ generation, with efficiently separating and obtaining value-added chemicals. This study provides a new strategy for designing efficient and low-cost organic small molecule electrocatalysts to promote the development of green hydrogen production.