Quantum mechanics

Catalysis

Adsorption

Materials science

Oxidation state

Inorganic chemistry

Physical chemistry

Reactive intermediate

Hydrogen

Physics

Organic chemistry

Computational chemistry

Kinetics

Heterojunction

Chemistry

Optoelectronics

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Developing highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) under alkaline media is essential for the commercialization of alkaline exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC). However, the kinetics of HOR in alkaline media is complicated, resulting in orders of magnitude slower than that in acid, even for the state-of-the-art Pt/C. Here, we find that Ru-Ru2 P/C heterostructure shows HOR performance with a non-monotonous variation in a whole pH region. Unexpectedly, an inflection point located at pH≈7 is observed, showing an anomalous behavior that HOR activity under alkaline media surpasses acidic media. Combining experimental results and theoretical calculations, we propose the roles of discrepant reactive intermediates for pH-universal HOR, while H* and H2 O* adsorption strengths are responsible for acidic HOR, and OH* adsorption strength is essential for alkaline HOR. This work not only sheds light on fundamentally understanding the mechanism of HOR but also provides new designing principles for pH-targeted electrocatalysts.

The Role of Discrepant Reactive Intermediates on Ru‐Ru<sub>2</sub>P Heterostructure for pH‐Universal Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction

The Role of Discrepant Reactive Intermediates on Ru‐Ru2P Heterostructure for pH‐Universal Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction

The Role of Discrepant Reactive Intermediates on Ru‐Ru₂P Heterostructure for pH‐Universal Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction