Positive Feedback‐Driven NiRu Frustrated Lewis Pairs Catalyst Enables a Self‐Reinforcing Catalytic Cycle for Cascade‐Coupled Hydrogen Production

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Authors: Kecheng Tong, Liangliang Xu, X.M. Wang, Cheng Li, Fei Lin, Hanxu Yao, Lei Chu, Peixin CUI, Meng Danny Gu, Heqing Jiang, Minghua Huang
Cited by: 12
References: 53

Abstract

Abstract The alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) associated with anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) is kinetically hindered by sluggish water dissociation and complex intermediate adsorption, which previous reports have inadequately addressed through isolated optimization, neglecting the intrinsic coupling between HER elementary steps. Herein, we report a frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) catalyst comprising NiRu dual single‐atoms and adjacent NiRu nanoclusters anchored on nitrogen‐doped carbon (Ni 1 Ru 1 ‐NiRu@NC), mimicking the enzymatic positive feedback mechanism that drives a self‐reinforcing catalytic cycle and accelerates the coupled elementary steps in a cascade manner. The catalyst featuring spatially proximate Lewis acid and base sites enable sequential reaction steps, where water dissociation occurs at acid sites and hydrogen adsorption proceed at base sites. The two steps are bridged through rapid hydrogen spillover channel, constructing a closed catalytic circuit in which hydrogen consumption at base sites promotes continuous water dissociation at acid sites. Benefiting from this positive feedback loop, Ni 1 Ru 1 ‐NiRu@NC achieves a remarkable HER performance and exhibits exceptional long‐term durability (>1000 h at 1.0 A cm − 2 ) in AEMWEs. Our findings demonstrate a new strategy to integrate positive feedback‐driven, cascade‐coupled catalysis in FLPs systems, offering a promising pathway toward high‐performance alkaline HER catalysts for industrial application.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction Machine Learning in Materials Science

Publication details

Journal / source
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
65
Issue
9
Pages
e23215–e23215
Publication date
22 January 2026
Language
EN