Manipulating the Spatial Position of Ru Confined in the Co Crystal Lattice Encapsulated in the Metal–Organic Framework Matrix To Boost Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

The design and construction of an efficient, stable, and low-cost electrocatalyst are the main challenge for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via water splitting. Herein, a dual-active-site Co–Ru-based HER electrocatalyst (ZIF-67@ZIF-8@Ru-900) was derived from the core–shell zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) structure of ZIF-67 and ZIF-8 with a controlled spatial metal loading position. Benefiting from the effective synergistic electronic interaction between Co and Ru sites, the 3D porous architecture, and the pyridinic N species, the as-prepared ZIF-67@ZIF-8@Ru-900 exhibited an outstanding HER performance, showing an overpotential of only 13 and 29 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm–2 in 1 M KOH and 0.5 M H2SO4, respectively, along with reliable catalytic stabilities. In addition, the homemade two-electrode ZIF-67@ZIF-8@Ru-900 ∥ IrO2 cell needs a voltage of 1.55 and 1.54 V to reach the current density of 10 mA cm–2 under alkaline and acidic conditions, respectively, which is much superior to Pt/C ∥ IrO2. This work is of great significance for the development of indispensable catalysts for hydrogen production and provides promising nanomaterials for energy storage and transformation. This work provides an idea for the design and construction of efficient, stable, and low-cost electrocatalysts in the field of electrocatalysis.