Water electrolysis in alkaline electrolyte is an attractive way toward clean hydrogen energy via the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), whereas the sluggish water dissociation impedes the following hydrogen evolution. Noble metal oxides possess promising capability for catalyzing water dissociation and hydrogen evolution; however, they are never utilized for the HER due to the instability under the reductive potential. Here it is shown that compressive strain can stabilize RhO2 clusters and promote their catalytic activity. To this end, a strawberry-like structure with RhO2 clusters embedded in the surface layer of Rh nanoparticles is engineered, in which the incompatibility between the oxide cluster and the metal substrate causes intensive compressive strain. As such, RhO2 clusters remain stable at a reduction potential up to -0.3 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and present an alkaline HER activity superior to commercial Pt/C.
Keywords: compressive strain; electrocatalysis; hydrogen evolution reaction; noble metal oxides; water electrolysis.
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