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Electrochemical water splitting, driven by processed catalysts, is the most reasonable method for hydrogen production. This study demonstrates an activation phenomenon with ruthenium (Ru) nanoclusters on few-layered black phosphorus (BP), greatly enhancing the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Efficient BP exfoliation was achieved using acoustic levitators and pulsed laser irradiation in liquids (PLIL), yielding charge-transfer Ru-nanoclusters on modulated surfaces. Various PLIL parameters were examined for the optimal BP sheet size. After ruthenization, Ru's d-band center facilitated hydrogen adsorption via Ru–H bonding. Synergy between BP's charge-carrier properties and Ru's active sites boosted HER kinetics with an ultralow overpotential of 84 mV at 10 mA/cm2 in KOH. Additionally, the RuO2 || RuBP-2 electrolyzer demonstrated remarkable overall water splitting performance at ∼1.60 V at 10 mA/cm2. These results highlight the pivotal role of metal nanoclusters on exfoliated BP surfaces and offer a refined strategy for high-density electrocatalysts in energy conversion.
Park et al. (Thu,) studied this question.