Engineering Strong Electron Metal–Support Interaction in Ru/W2N/WO2.72 Heterointerfaces for Efficient Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution

The W₂N carrier supplies electrons to Ru, while WO_2.72 extracts electrons from Ru, thereby forming a bidirectional electronic metal–support interaction at the metal-carrier interface. This synergistic modulation not only stabilizes Ru in a partially oxidized state but also optimizes the hydrogen adsorption energy and significantly reduces the water dissociation barrier, ultimately exhibiting excellent electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance.

Developing cost-effective electrocatalysts with platinum-like performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains a critical challenge for advancing sustainable energy technologies. Herein, a Ru/W₂N/WO_2.72 (Ru/WNO) heterostructured catalyst is presented in which Ru nanoparticles are anchored at the interface of a conductive W₂N phase and an oxygen-deficient WO_2.72 phase. This tailored interface establishes a bidirectional electronic metal–support interaction (EMSI), where electron donation from W₂N and electron withdrawal by WO_2.72 cooperatively modulate the electronic structure of Ru, stabilizing it in a partially oxidized state. The balanced EMSI environment optimizes hydrogen adsorption and lowers the water dissociation barrier to 0.43 eV, supported by synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Consequently, Ru/WNO achieves an ultralow overpotential of 21 mV at 10 mA cm^{− 2} in alkaline media, along with excellent durability exceeding 100 h. This work highlights a rational heterointerface-engineering strategy to manipulate EMSI, offering valuable guidance for developing high-performance and durable HER electrocatalysts.

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