Rapid Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis of Ru@NC Catalysts for Long‐Lasting Hydrogen Evolution Catalysis

Abstract Even chemically stable Pt and Ru‐based catalysts suffer from activity degradation under high‐current hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) conditions, limiting the performance of water electrolysis. Encapsulating nanoparticles (NPs) with carbon shells is a promising way to enhance catalyst stability. Herein, Ru NPs encapsulated in N‐doped carbon shells (Ru@NC) are synthesized via rapid microwave‐assisted pyrolysis of a bimetallic metal‐triazole framework. Specifically, the Ru@NC catalyst demonstrates remarkable catalytic performance, achieving current densities of 100 and 1000 mA cm⁻² with overpotentials of only 77 and 287 mV, respectively, in 1 м KOH. Moreover, it exhibited extraordinary long‐term stability toward high‐current HER (1000 mA cm⁻² for 500 h), outperforming bare Ru nanoparticle catalysts. The synergistic effects of the protective carbon shell and metal‐support interaction provide both physical confinement and chemical stabilization, effectively preventing nanoparticle agglomeration and intrinsic activity decay. This work introduces a versatile strategy for preparing N‐doped carbon‐shell‐coated NPs and highlights the critical role of the shell in enhancing both the stability and activity of catalysts for high‐current HER.