The
electrochemical reforming of ethanol into hydrogen and hydrocarbons
can reduce the electric potential energy barrier of hydrogen production
from electrochemical water splitting, obtaining high value-added anode
products. In this work, Ru/Ni(OH)2 heterostructured nanomaterials
were synthesized successfully by an in situ reduction
strategy with remarkable multifunctional catalytic properties. In
the hydrogen evolution reaction, Ru/Ni(OH)2 exhibits a
smaller overpotential of 31 mV to obtain a current density of 10 mA/cm2, which is better than that of commercial Pt/C. Notably, such
heterostructured Ru/Ni(OH)2 nanomaterials also perform
an outstanding catalytic selectivity toward an acetaldehyde product
in the oxidation of ethanol. DFT calculations reveal that abundant
Ru(0)-Ni(II) heterostructured sites are the key factor for the excellent
performances. As a result, an ethanol-selective reforming electrolyzer
driven by a 2 V solar cell is constructed to produce hydrogen and
acetaldehyde in the cathodic and anodic part, respectively, via using
Ru/Ni(OH)2 heterostructured catalysts. This work provides
a forward-looking technical guidance for the design of novel energy
conversion systems