Issue 22, 2021

Defects tailoring IrO2@TiN1+x nano-heterojunctions for superior water oxidation activity and stability

Abstract

Developing cost-effective Ir-based anode catalysts for proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis has been recognized as an efficient and pragmatic approach; however, many challenges remain to lower the Ir content while maintaining high electrocatalytic performance. Herein, an effective strategy of tailoring IrO2@TiN1+x nano-heterojunctions by defects is reported, aiming at enhancing the intrinsic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of IrO2 at a low Ir amount. A remarkable OER activity in an acidic solution is achieved for IrO2@TiN1+x with 7.3 times of mass activity and 1.8 times of specific activity relative to IrO2. As the anode electrode in a PEM single cell, IrO2@TiN1+x also reveals the optimal activity with 1.916 V at 2 A cm−2, which is 57 mV and 130 mV lower than that of IrO2@TiN and IrO2, respectively. Meantime, the IrO2@TiN1+x electrode manifests good stability at 1 A cm−2 for 100 h. Electrochemical characterization analysis and DFT calculation results indicate that the increase in the number of active sites and the modulating electronic interaction between IrO2 and TiN1+x could multiply the active sites and accelerate the OER kinetics of IrO2. Thus, the IrO2@TiN1+x nano-heterostructure reveals superior electrocatalytic performance and good stability at a low Ir content.

Graphical abstract: Defects tailoring IrO2@TiN1+x nano-heterojunctions for superior water oxidation activity and stability

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
09 Jun 2021
Accepted
21 Sep 2021
First published
29 Sep 2021

Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 8047-8055

Defects tailoring IrO2@TiN1+x nano-heterojunctions for superior water oxidation activity and stability

S. Wang, H. Lv, S. Bi, T. Li, Y. Sun, W. Ji, C. Feng and C. Zhang, Mater. Chem. Front., 2021, 5, 8047 DOI: 10.1039/D1QM00845E

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