Ru doped Fe – Ni – B – Nb metallic glass and sulfuric acid corrosion as highly efficient for hydrogen evolution reaction

Facing excessive reliance on traditional fossil energy and growing environmental pollution, developing clean, efficient sustainable energy and low-cost electrocatalysts with good electrochemical properties was a priority, especially replacing precious metals in hydrogen applications. This study focuses on enhancing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with Fe-based metallic glasses (MGs) electrocatalysts. It has been found that micro-addition of Ru in Fe₆₉Ni₁₁B₁₃Nb₇ MG can enhance the activity of HER in alkaline solutions. With the addition of 3 at% Ru, the overpotential decreases from 326 mV to 240 mV, while the Tafel’s slope is reduced from 191 mV·dec^-1 to 159 mV·dec^-1. After undergoing sulfuric acid corrosion treatment, the optimized Fe₆₉Ni₁₁B₁₀Nb₇Ru₃ MG catalyst exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic performance. It achieves an ultralow overpotential of 50 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm^-2 and a Tafel’s slope of 47 mV·dec^-1. This performance outperforms most previously reported Fe-based, Ni-based, and even Pt-based metallic glass catalysts. Moreover, while its activity is comparable to that of state-of-the-art Ru-based catalysts (e.g., Ru/C, RuO₂), the Fe₆₉Ni₁₁B₁₀Nb₇Ru₃ MG catalyst uses significantly less noble metal abou 3 at% Ru. These results highlight its exceptional balance between catalytic activity and cost-effectiveness for the alkaline HER. The mechanism of the improvement of HER caused by the addition of Ru and corrosion has been discussed. This study may provide insights for efficient electrocatalyst development.