Dual‐Function Zinc Modulation Stabilizes Ru Clusters on Spinel Oxide for Efficient and Durable Acid Water Oxidation

Abstract

Abstract The development of low ruthenium (Ru)‐based anodes with high activity and durability is crucial and still a challenge for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) systems at a low cost. Here, we synthesized a Ru cluster catalyst (Ru clusters /ZnCo 2 O 4 ) loaded on zinc (Zn)‐doped cobalt oxide spinel, where the presence of Zn atoms transforms the support (ZnCo 2 O 4 ) from a “fragile structure” to a “stable substrate” and indirectly stabilizes the Ru active center by optimizing the electronic environment of the Ru sites through electron transfer meanwhile, thereby achieving a balance between high activity and stability in acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The prepared catalysts with a low overpotential (200 mV) and can operate stably for over 725 h at 10 mA cm −2 (with a decay rate of only 0.143 mV h −1 ). A PEMWE device uses Ru clusters /ZnCo 2 O 4 as the anodes operate stably for over 275 h at 200 mA cm −2 , demonstrating promising application potential. Theoretical calculations and experiments reveal Zn atoms can regulate the support electronic structure concurrently, endowing the catalysts with high activity and long lifetime. This strategy provides a new paradigm for the development of acidic OER catalysts: utilizing inert metals to regulate the supports, achieving dual breakthroughs in activity and stability.