Precisely Assembly of Individual-Atom-to-Twinned Ruthenium Nanocrystal for Seawater Hydrogen Evolution.

Gao, Yang; Xue, Yurui; Chen, Siao; Chen, Siyi; Zheng, Yunhao; Ping, Xinyu; Dong, ChengCheng; Zhang, Mengmeng et al. · Adv Mater · 2026

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Atomic manufacturing technology can precisely control individual atoms to dynamically regulate atomic networks and provide a transformative approach for sustainable catalysis and energy fields. In this study, we report fluorine-substituted graphdiyne (FGDY) as a promising platform for the gradual assembly of ruthenium (Ru) metal atoms from individual atoms to clusters, ultimately yielding twinned quantum dots (TQDs). Theoretical and experimental results show that FGDY, with a unique sp-sp<sup>2</sup> hybridized network and fluorine-induced charge polarization, enhances Ru∼FGDY interactions, precisely controlling the atomic-level dispersion of Ru while suppressing Ru aggregation and promoting active site exposure. These advantages further accelerate proton-coupled electron transfer, reduce water dissociation barriers, and achieve excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity (84 mV at 1.0 A cm<sup>-2</sup>) and stability (1200 h with negligible activity decay) in simulated seawater. This work provides a general platform for designing scalable, nonprecious metal catalysts for sustainable hydrogen production from complex electrolytes.