Hydrogen produced from renewable electricity is widely regarded as a clean energy carrier for a low-carbon future. Among water electrolysis technologies, anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) has attracted growing attention because it combines the cost advantage of alkaline water electrolysis with the high-current operation of proton exchange membrane systems. However, the sluggish hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media remains a major obstacle, especially when catalysts are required to work under industrial current densities for long periods.
Platinum-based catalysts are still the benchmark for HER, but their high cost and limited alkaline water dissociation ability restrict large-scale applications. Ruthenium is considered a promising alternative because it is less expensive than platinum and has strong water dissociation capability. Yet Ru-based nanocatalysts face two key challenges: Ru binds hydrogen too strongly, which slows hydrogen release, and Ru nanoparticles tend to migrate and aggregate during synthesis or operation, leading to the loss of active sites.
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Jian Liu, Prof. Yuqi Yang, and Dr. Jiaqing Luofrom China University of Petroleum reported a rational strategy to overcome these problems. The team designed a ruthenium nanoparticle catalyst supported on a three-dimensional spherical porous nitrogen-doped carbon framework, denoted Ru/3DSPNC. The results were published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis (10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65000-0) .
The central idea of this work is to “lock” ultrafine Ru nanoparticles within a porous and nitrogen-rich carbon framework. The researchers first prepared a three-dimensional spherical porous UiO-66(Ce)-derived carbon support using a soft-template method. Cyanamide was then introduced as a nitrogen source, followed by pyrolysis and acid leaching to obtain the nitrogen-doped porous carbon framework. After Ru precursor impregnation and thermal reduction, highly dispersed Ru nanoparticles were formed on the support.
This design integrates three functions in one catalyst. First, the micropore–mesopore hierarchical structure provides spatial confinement, which helps prevent Ru nanoparticles from growing and agglomerating. Second, nitrogenous defects act as strong anchoring sites for Ru species, stabilizing ultrafine nanoparticles on the carbon framework. Third, nitrogen doping regulates the electronic structure of Ru, generating electron-deficient Ru δ+ sites that are more favorable for alkaline HER.
As a result, Ru/3DSPNC exhibited excellent alkaline HER performance in 1.0 M KOH. The catalyst required an overpotential of only 11.2 mV to reach 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming several control catalysts and commercial Pt/C. It also showed fast reaction kinetics and stable operation for 100 hours in a standard three-electrode system.
To evaluate practical potential, the team further used Ru/3DSPNC as the cathode catalyst in an AEMWE device. With a low Ru loading of about 0.0723 mg cm⁻², the electrolyzer reached 1 A cm⁻² at 1.90 V at 30 °C and 1.76 V at 60 °C. More importantly, the device operated stably at 1 A cm⁻² for 310 hours with less than 5.6% voltage degradation, outperforming a commercial Pt/C-based device under comparable conditions.
Density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations provided deeper insight into the catalytic mechanism. Nitrogenous defect sites strengthen the interaction between Ru nanoparticles and the carbon support, suppressing particle migration and aggregation. Meanwhile, nitrogen-induced electron transfer optimizes the hydrogen adsorption strength on Ru sites, facilitating hydrogen release. Nitrogen doping also improves the adsorption and activation of interfacial water molecules, accelerating the water dissociation step that is critical for alkaline HER.
Overall, this work demonstrates that spatial confinement, nitrogenous defect anchoring, and interfacial electronic modulation can work together to enhance both the activity and durability of Ru-based HER catalysts. The strategy offers a promising route for designing low-noble-metal, high-performance cathode catalysts for practical alkaline membrane water electrolysis.
About the Journal
Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top one journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 17.7. The Editors-in-Chief are Profs. Can Li and Tao Zhang.
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Chinese Journal of Catalysis
Spatial confinement and nitrogenous defect anchoring synergistically enhance Ru nanoparticles catalyst performance for industrial current densities hydrogen evolution
5-May-2026