Ru single atoms regulate electron distribution in defective NiFe LDH for enhanced oxygen evolution reaction

作者：Xiaolin Hu, Chengbin Cai, Yuru Wang, Shiyue Zhang, Xiaolong Guo, Haozhi Wang, Yida Deng · 发表于：Nano Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.26599/nr.2025.94908120 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion、Catalytic Processes in Materials Science、Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis

Supported single-atom catalysts (SACs) demonstrate exceptional catalytic performance, atom efficiency and selectivity, as a result, they are the potential candidates used in oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, stabilizing monodispersed noble-metal atoms is challenging. This is especially true for two-dimensional (2D) layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanostructures. Here, we report the successful stabilization of ruthenium (Ru) single atoms (SAs). These SAs are located within a defective NiFe LDH nanosheet. This material is named Ru SAs/D-NiFe LDH@NF and formed through the hydrothermal reaction followed by etching. The resulting catalyst exhibits outstanding OER performance in alkaline media, achieving an exceedingly low overpotential (206 mV) at 50 mA cm -2 , which remarkably decreases relative to the overpotential in pristine NiFe LDH (311 mV). Ru SAs regulate the electron distribution near defects, optimizing the Ru-NiFe hydroxide interaction and diminishing energy barrier for forming *OOH intermediates, as revealed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrates remarkable stability in Zn-air batteries (ZABs), delivering the maximal power density (170 mW cm -2 ). Furthermore, it maintains stable operation for 350 hours, highlighting its practical viability. This work provides a versatile strategy for integrating single-atom sites into NiFe LDH, paving the way for the design of next-generation SACs for energy conversion applications.