Enhancing Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction Activity of Ruthenium by Vanadium Oxides

Developing highly effective Ru-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) is essential for driving the commercialization of anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) to address concerns regarding the performance and cost of anodic materials. In this study, well-dispersed vanadium oxide species (VOx) decorated on Ru particles were fabricated and used as an anode in AEMFC. This catalyst exhibited high HOR activity and durability, achieving a 1.2 W cm–2 peak power density under H2–O2, surpassing the performance of commercial Pt/C with identical metal loading (0.1 mg cm–2) under the same operating conditions. Experimental and calculation results indicate that the introduced VOx species modulate the electronic structures of Ru, optimizing hydrogen and hydroxyl binding energies and improving the electrochemical stability of Ru. This work opens opportunities for the rational design of catalysts via dispersing the oxophilic sites.