Bifunctional Fe─Ru─VC Catalyst for Energy Efficient Tandem Alkaline Electrolysis of Hydrazine and 4‐nitrophenol

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Abstract Alternate electrocatalytic reactions can turn pollutants into green fuels, offering an energy‐efficient approach. Coupling hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR), with 4‐nitrophenol hydrogenation (4‐NPHR) is especially promising. Here, we report a bifunctional electrocatalyst composed of defect‐rich Fe–Ru alloy clusters uniformly anchored on vanadium carbide (Fe─Ru─VC), synthesized via scalable ball milling and thermal annealing. Fe─Ru─VC exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward both HzOR and 4‐NPHR, requiring a low overpotential of 145 mV at 10 mA cm −2 and a favorable Tafel slope of 68.9 mV dec −1 for HzOR, with stability exceeding 90 h in 1M KOH. For 1 m M 4‐NPHR, superior Fe‐Ru‐VC performance is achieved −7.2 mA cm −2 at 100 mV, highlighting its high efficiency. Furthermore, a paired H‐cell electrolyzer (HzOR||4‐NPHR) operates at only 200 mV to deliver 40 mA cm −2 , underscoring its low energy demand. In situ Raman spectroscopy confirms the formation of Fe─Ru(OOH) as active sites, UV–Vis analysis confirms rapid 4‐NP degradation, and DFT calculations demonstrate enhanced electronic interactions at the Ru─Fe junction, consistent with experimental observations. The outstanding activity is attributed to synergistic Fe‐Ru interactions, the presence of zigzag edge defects, and the excellent conductivity of the VC support.

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