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Peer-reviewedCC BY 3.0Chemical Science

Interfacial H relay and site regeneration in Mn single atom-Ru cluster hybrids for efficient alkaline HER

  • Shangyan Zhou1,2,3,4
  • Fei Liu1,2,3,4
  • Qiandan Ren1,2,3,4
  • Huarui Wang1,2,3,4
  • Yanyu Zhang1,2,3,4
  • Quande Man1,2,3,4
  • Ju Guo5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guizhou University Guiyang Guizhou 550025 China
  2. 2Key Laboratory of Carbon-based Energy Molecular Chemical Utilization Technology in Guizhou Province, Guizhou University Guiyang Guizhou 550025 China
  3. 3Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Catalysis and Materials for Resource Conversion, Guizhou University Guiyang Guizhou 550025 China
  4. 4Guizhou Provincial Technological Innovation Centre of Resource Coupling and Deep Processing for Sulfur-Phosphorus-Titanate-Iron, Guizhou University Guiyang Guizhou 550025 China
  5. 5School of Brewing Engineering, Moutai Institute Renhuai Guizhou 564507 China
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Abstract

It is widely recognized that constructing synergistic catalysts between single atoms and clusters is a potential strategy to enhance the kinetics of the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the unclear reaction mechanism hinders the understanding of synergy and complicates the rational design. Herein, we report a hybrid electrocatalyst with Mn single atoms and Ru clusters co-anchored on N-doped carbon (RuAC/MnSANC), which enables an interfacial H relay for accelerated HER. In situ Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculations collectively demonstrate that the oxophilic Mn sites readily dissociate water, and the resulting H species are relayed to adjacent Ru nanoclusters, which possess a near-optimal ΔGH*. This interfacial H* relay enriches reactive H* on Ru while regenerating the Mn sites for subsequent water activation, thereby enabling continuous catalytic turnover through Mn-site regeneration. Moreover, the Mn single atom alters the electronic configuration of Ru and weakens the excessive Ru–H interaction, thereby facilitating more efficient H* transfer and H2 desorption. As a result, the RuAC/MnSANC catalyst exhibits an exceptionally low overpotential of 66 mV at 50 mA cm−2 under alkaline conditions and excellent long-term durability exceeding 600 hours. This work not only presents a high-performance catalyst but also provides profound mechanistic insights into the design of cooperative catalytic systems for energy conversion.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhou2026interfacial,
  title = {{Interfacial H relay and site regeneration in Mn single atom-Ru cluster hybrids for efficient alkaline HER}},
  author = {Shangyan Zhou and Fei Liu and Qiandan Ren and Huarui Wang and Yanyu Zhang and Quande Man and Ju Guo},
  journal = {Chemical Science},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.1039/d6sc06709c},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc06709c},
  note = {CC BY 3.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Interfacial H relay and site regeneration in Mn single atom-Ru cluster hybrids for efficient alkaline HER
AU  - Shangyan Zhou
AU  - Fei Liu
AU  - Qiandan Ren
AU  - Huarui Wang
AU  - Yanyu Zhang
AU  - Quande Man
AU  - Ju Guo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/04
JO  - Chemical Science
DO  - 10.1039/d6sc06709c
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc06709c
AB  - It is widely recognized that constructing synergistic catalysts between single atoms and clusters is a potential strategy to enhance the kinetics of the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the unclear reaction mechanism hinders the understanding of synergy and complicates the rational design. Herein, we report a hybrid electrocatalyst with Mn single atoms and Ru clusters co-anchored on N-doped carbon (RuAC/MnSANC), which enables an interfacial H relay for accelerated HER. In situ Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculations collectively demonstrate that the oxophilic Mn sites readily dissociate water, and the resulting H species are relayed to adjacent Ru nanoclusters, which possess a near-optimal ΔGH*. This interfacial H* relay enriches reactive H* on Ru while regenerating the Mn sites for subsequent water activation, thereby enabling continuous catalytic turnover through Mn-site regeneration. Moreover, the Mn single atom alters the electronic configuration of Ru and weakens the excessive Ru–H interaction, thereby facilitating more efficient H* transfer and H2 desorption. As a result, the RuAC/MnSANC catalyst exhibits an exceptionally low overpotential of 66 mV at 50 mA cm−2 under alkaline conditions and excellent long-term durability exceeding 600 hours. This work not only presents a high-performance catalyst but also provides profound mechanistic insights into the design of cooperative catalytic systems for energy conversion.
SN  - 2041-6520
SN  - 2041-6539
ER  -