Synergistic Coupling of Nickel Boride with Ru Cluster as a Highly Active Multifunctional Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting and Glucose Electrolysis

Abstract The development of highly active electrocatalysts is of great importance toward the practical applications of many meaningful electrocatalytic reactions. In this paper, the synthesis and electrocatalytic properties of a multifunctional ruthenium nickel boride hybrid electrocatalyst are reported for the first time. Compared to pristine nickel boride (Ni‐B) and Ru electrocatalysts, Ru@Ni‐B with trace Ru loading amount of 0.133 mg cm⁻² prepared by a simple wet chemical method, shows remarkably improved activity toward the hydrogen evolution reaction, the oxygen evolution reaction, and the glucose oxidation reaction. The electrolytic cell assembled with Ru@Ni‐B/nickel foam electrode as both cathode and anode can deliver 10 mA cm⁻² at only 1.42 V for alkaline overall water splitting and 1.24 V for glucose electrolysis. It is further found that the synergistic coupling of ruthenium with nickel boride plays an important role in the superior performance of the hybrid electrocatalyst.