Water Splitting Ir Oxide-Based Electrocatalysts for Solar Fuel Production in Acid PEM and Acid PEC Devices

Nanoscale catalytic materials are key components of dark electrolytic and photoelectrochemical devices for storing and converting solar energy. Their successful development and optimization requires insight into the relations between atomic-scale structure of the catalytic interface and its catalytic activity and stability.

In this talk, I will highlight some of our recent work on the design and understanding of electrocatalytic Ir oxide based nanomaterials ^1-12 and their liquid-solid interface at the atomic-scale. I will outline the preparation, characterization, and catalytic performance of Ir oxide model catalysts and nanostructured core-shell particles for water splitting and discuss fundamental aspects of their structure-activity relationships.

1.            Nong, H. N.; Gan, L.; Willinger, E.; Teschner, D.; Strasser, P., IrOx core-shell nanocatalysts for cost- and energy-efficient electrochemical water splitting. Chem. Sci. 2014, 5, 2955-2963.

2.            Nong, H. N.; Oh, H. S.; Reier, T.; Willinger, E.; Willinger, M. G.; Petkov, V.; Teschner, D.; Strasser, P., Oxide-Supported IrNiOx Core-Shell Particles as Efficient, Cost-Effective, and Stable Catalysts for Electrochemical Water Splitting. Angew. Chem. 2015, 54, 2975-2979.

3.            Oh, H.-S.; Nong, H. N.; Strasser, P., Preparation of Mesoporous Sb-, F-, and In-Doped SnO2 Bulk Powder with High Surface Area for Use as Catalyst Supports in Electrolytic Cells. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2015, 25, 1074-1081.

4.            Oh, H.-S.; Nong, H. N.; Reier, T.; Gliech, M.; Strasser, P., Oxide-supported Ir nanodendrites with high activity and durability for the oxygen evolution reaction in acid PEM water electrolyzers. Chem. Sci. 2015, online DOI: 10.1039/C5SC00518C.

5.            Cherevko, S.; Reier, T.; Zeradjanin, A. R.; Pawolek, Z.; Strasser, P.; J.J.Mayrhofer, K., Stability of nanostructured iridium oxide electrocatalysts during oxygen evolution reaction in acidic environment. Electrochem. Commun. 2014, 48, 81-85.

6.            Reier, T.; Teschner, D.; Lunkenbein, T.; Bergmann, A.; Selve, S.; Kraehnert, R.; Schlogl, R.; Strasser, P., Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution on Iridium Oxide: Uncovering Catalyst-Substrate Interactions and Active Iridium Oxide Species. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2014, 161, F876-F882.

7.            Johnson, B.; Girgdies, F.; Weinberg, G.; Rosenthal, D.; Knop-Gericke, A.; Schlögl, R.; Reier, T.; Strasser, P., Suitability of Simplified (Ir,Ti)Ox Films for Characterization during Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction. J. Phys. Chem. C 2013, 117, 25443-25450.

8.            Reier, T.; Oezaslan, M.; Strasser, P., Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) on Ru, Ir, and Pt Catalysts: A Comparative Study of Nanoparticles and Bulk Materials. ACS Catal. 2012, 2, 1765-1772.

9.            Ortel, E.; Reier, T.; Strasser, P.; Kraehnert, R., Mesoporous IrO2 Films Templated by PEO-PB-PEO Block-Copolymers: Self-Assembly, Crystallization Behavior, and Electrocatalytic Performance. Chem. Mat. 2011, 23, 3201-3209.

10.          Forgie, R.; Bugosh, G.; Neyerlin, K. C.; Liu, Z.; Strasser, P., Bimetallic Ru Electrocatalysts for the OER and Electrolytic Water Splitting in Acidic Media. Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 2010, 13, B36.

11.          Dau, H.; Limberg, C.; Reier, T.; Risch, M.; Roggan, S.; Strasser, P., The Mechanism of Water Oxidation: From Electrolysis via Homogeneous to Biological Catalysis. ChemCatChem 2010, 2, 724-761.

12.          Neyerlin, K. C.; Bugosh, G.; Forgie, R.; Liu, Z.; Strasser, P., Combinatorial Study of High-Surface-Area Binary and Ternary Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction. J. Electrochem. Soc. 2009, 156, B363-B369.