Synergetic effect of bimetalic nanoparticles anchored on biomass-derived carbon nanosheets for hydrogen evolution reaction

Transition metals loaded biomass-derived carbon materials are emerging as a promising cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The biomass-derived carbon offers effecient mass transport for gas diffusion while possesses inherit rich porous structure for the disposition of active transition metals. In this work, we demonstrated a facile method to synthesize Co-Ru bimetal supported pine nut shells-derived carbon electrocatalyst (CoRuAC) . The as prepared electrocatalyst shows an unique two-dimensional hierarchical porous structure with uniformly distributed nanoparticles, delivering a low overpotential (160 mV @ 10 mA cm⁻²), small Tafel slope, and long-term stability in alkaline conditions. A series of characterizations revealed that the enhanced HER performance was attributed to the large specific surface area, the mass/charge transfer pathways provided by biomass-derived carbon and the electronic coupling of Co and Ru. This study offers a new inspiration for designing novel and economical electrocatalyst for HER in alkaline electrolytes with green and sustainable strategy.