Partially exposed RuP(2) surface in hybrid structure endows its bifunctionality for hydrazine oxidation and hydrogen evolution catalysis

Replacing the sluggish anode reaction in water electrolysis with thermodynamically favorable hydrazine oxidation could achieve energy-efficient H(2) production, while the shortage of bifunctional catalysts limits its scale development. Here, we presented the scalable one-pot synthesis of partially exposed RuP(2) nanoparticle–decorated carbon porous microsheets, which can act as the superior bifunctional catalyst outperforming Pt/C for both hydrazine oxidation reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction, where an ultralow working potential of −70 mV and an ultrasmall overpotential of 24 mV for 10 mA cm(−2) can be achieved. The two-electrode electrolyzer can reach 10 mA cm(−2) with a record-low cell voltage of 23 mV and an ultrahigh current density of 522 mA cm(−2) at 1.0 V. The DFT calculations unravel the notability of partial exposure in the hybrid structure, as the exposed Ru atoms are the active sites for hydrazine dehydrogenation, while the C atoms exhibit a more thermoneutral value for H* adsorption.