Ultrathin dendritic IrTe nanotubes for an efficient oxygen evolution reaction in a wide pH range

Abstract

The shape control of Ir-based nanostructured materials, which are considered as the state-of-the-art anode electrocatalyst candidates toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), has been rarely reported. Here, we reported an efficient synthesis of ultrathin dendritic IrTe nanotubes (NTs) via a galvanic replacement reaction using Te nanowires as the template at 190 °C for 1 h. The as-obtained IrTe NTs exhibited improved electrocatalytic activity and stability toward the OER with a much smaller overpotential of 290 mV and Tafel slope of 60.3 mV dec⁻¹ to attain a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² in acidic medium, compared with commercial IrO₂ nanoparticles. Moreover, IrTe NTs also demonstrated enhanced electrocatalytic performances in neutral and alkaline media. The outstanding electrochemical properties of IrTe NTs in a wide pH range hold great promise in energy storage and conversion devices.